That is the Question
by JennyJoy4
Summary: Sequel to There's Something Rotten in Rivendell. The parts are reversed: Now our four MiddleEarthlings end up in PAbut they don't like it very much. Tragedy ensues. Trying hard not to be tacky or MarySueish! COMPLETE!
1. Positions Reversed

Estel closed his eyes with a seraphic smile as a cool breeze washed over him, bringing with it the scent of warm earth and old leaves.

"Here is a good place to spend the night," Legolas was saying, dropping his pack on the ground.

"It is indeed," Elladan agreed as he and Elrohir followed suit. The four of them were on a short hunting expedition not very far from Rivendell. The day had been fine, and Estel had enjoyed stretching his legs in the great outdoors. It would be another four hours of walking the next day before they reached their destination, where they had been told the herds were passing this year.

Estel dropped his pack on the ground and stretched his arms. "I will go gather the firewood," he volunteered, and headed into the trees.

"Just don't fall in any rivers, little brother!" Elrohir called after him gleefully. Estel smiled and shook his head in half-feigned exasperation. He hoped his brothers would soon tire of that joke. It had been a few months since Katie Johanson had saved him from slipping and falling into the Bruinen, and the twins still found it amusing.

The thought of Katie made him wonder how she was doing back in her homeland of Pennsylvania. Had her mother and grandmother been terribly worried about her when she disappeared for ten days? And had she continued to have nightmares, or did they fade as she left Middle Earth?

He returned to the campsite with his arms full of branches. It seemed the mention of Katie's act of heroism had sparked the same discussion among the other three, for Elladan was saying,

"I suppose we'll never see her again. I would have loved to learn more of her _Ëa_, of her world."

Estel deposited his burden on the ground. "You don't know that we never will. Eru works in mysterious ways, as Erestor is so fond of saying."

Elladan chuckled. "I am sure he was sorry to find that he missed all the action during his visit to Lorien."

"What was that?" Legolas interrupted suddenly. They all listened.

"It sounds like—" Elrohir began, then stopped as a strange, subtle feeling flashed over them and, so fast and smooth that they couldn't tell when the change began and ended, the four of them were no longer in the forest of Imladris, but a strange room, painted a pale bluish-green, with white basins on the wall and mirrors over them.

"…bells," Elrohir finished weakly.

There were two people standing before them. The first was a girl about eighteen years of age, very short and with curly red hair. She had witnessed their sudden entrance and stared at them wide-eyed. "Oh… my… God," she said in shock.

At the same time, the other figure squealed, "Ohmigod!" and hurtled at them. She threw her arms around the first one of them she encountered—Legolas.

"Katie?" he asked in wonderment.

"Legolas! It's so great to see you!" Katie exclaimed, hugging the other three in quick succession. "And Estel! And Elladan! And Elrohir! Ohmigod!" she repeated. "What are you guys doing here!"

"I cannot tell you," Elrohir answered with a half-smile, still in a state of shock. "But it is very good to see you again, _Penneth_."

"Pen _who_?" The redhead had watched the scene in complete befuddlement. "Who are you people? And how did you just… like…" Words seemed to fail her.

Katie looked suddenly serious and ran over to the door. She peered both ways up and down what appeared to be a corridor. "The coast's clear," she announced. "I can't explain everything here; let's go to our room."

She led the five of them down the hallway. Estel observed that it was painted a pale mauve, with doors along both sides in a slightly darker shade. But he didn't have long to look around before Katie was quickly herding them all through one of the doors.

When the door was shut behind them—Katie turned the lock for good measure—she turned back to the redhead and her four visitors. "Guys, this is my roommate, Megan Westerna." Megan looked half-angry at being denied an explanation. "Okay, Megs. You remember I told you about that crazy dream I had last year? About the elves and stuff?"

"Yeah?"

"Well…" Katie looked kind of sheepish. "It wasn't a dream."

"WHAT!"

As Katie attempted to convince her—what was the word?... roommate—that she was telling the truth, the others took the moment to glance around the room. It was small enough that the six of them were a bit crowded, and the lighting seemed strange to their eyes. It was painted the same pale mauve as the hall, and contained two beds, two of what looked like dressers, two doors to what were presumably closets, and two desks with strange objects and devices on them that Estel couldn't even begin to guess the purpose of.

They looked back at the redhead as she approached them. Katie had apparently convinced her. "You're… elves?" she said hesitantly.

"We are. Estel isn't," Elladan clarified, indicating his human brother. Megan opened and shut her mouth, unsure what to say. Elladan smiled, guessing what she wanted to know. He leaned toward her, turning his head. "Yes, my pointed ears are real," he assured her. "Go on."

Megan reached up a tentative hand and touched his ear while Elrohir looked on in some amusement. "Wow," she breathed. "But wait!" she exclaimed as Elladan straightened up again. "Do you guys all have to stay here until you save someone's life?"

"That's a good question," Katie said, biting her lip. "Probably not. Just until they change whatever it is they've been sent to change."

"In other words," Megan said, turning back to her, "probably quite awhile."

"Katie." Elladan caught her attention. "Where _are_ we?"

"Oh! I'm sorry. You're in Pennsylvania. Welcome to Watson College!"

"College?"

"Yes. I graduated high school, and now I'm a freshman in college."

Elrohir frowned. "I thought you had a number of months of high school to complete first?"

"I did," Katie answered, not understanding his confusion. "I completed them."

"But it has only been three months since you left us," Elrohir explained patiently.

"_Really?_ Wow." Katie looked thoughtful. "It's been a year for me. It must be like Narnia."

"What is that?" Estel asked.

She waved her hand vaguely. "It's a place in a book. What I mean is, the time must run differently between our worlds or something. I should've guessed when my entire ten-day stay with you guys only took me a couple of hours here."

"So your family did not become worried about you?"

She shook her head. "Nah. Mom had gone to work already by the time I left, so I just told her I skipped school because I felt sick. It wasn't a problem."

"Good. I was worried that it might have distressed your family."

"Kate," Megan said in the pause, "They can't run around here dressed like _that!_"

"Why ever not?" Legolas asked, looking down at his clothes. He and the others were dressed as they always were on hunts, in tunics, leggings, boots, and capes. They also still had their bows and hunting knives, and Elrohir and Estel carried swords.

"Because, my dear Robin Hood," Katie said, falling back into her habit toward him, "in the words of _Kate and Leopold_, you look like psychotic escapees from a Renaissance faire." At their confused expressions, she clarified, "No one dresses like that around here. Trust me."

"So where can we obtain clothes?" Estel asked.

Katie and Megan looked at each other and nodded decisively. In unison, they answered, "Wallyworld."

"_Where?_"

**TBC**

**

* * *

AN: How's that for starting the next one up quickly?. :)**

I know the "elves come to our world" theme is overdone—about as much as the "girl from our world goes to Middle Earth" theme. In a way, I think this one will be even harder to keep from becoming tacky or clichéd. I'm trying to solve part of that problem by doing what I did in the last fic, and trying to put everything in the POV of the Middle-Earthlings, not Katie. If you have any suggestions or can point out any place where this becomes extremely tacky, please do. Tackiness is the LAST thing I want!

Megan is my actual roommate. I didn't make her personality completely like my Meg's, but some things will be based on her. It's a lot easier to take the personality of someone you know, and think, what would they do in this situation? than to actually invent a personality for them, which would probably end up like any other teenage girl's.

**crazycatluver**: Megs says you're welcome. :)

**Ravens Destiny**: —grins— I'm glad I have the power to shock! Kudos for guessing she would have to save Estel in the end! Does Christopher Paolini write fanfic or original fiction? BRIGADOON! I am freaking going to kill you and steal your part. I was so mad this year because I just graduated from high school, and what play does my high school do the first year I'm gone? Only my favorite musical! BRIGADOON! GAH! lol Wow, the CAA Guild sounds like fun! And I didn't even _think_ about the fact that Legolas always sleeps with his eyes open… Hee hee. I made a funny!

**Darkened Dreams**: Well, I can't guarantee that the elves+Estel will be in PA for very long—I think we would all soon get tired of their constant amazement! But in the third fic (Yes, I plan to write even more!), maybe I can make Katie lengthen her stay a bit. I seriously feel sometimes that I'm not in control of my stories…

**theycallmemary**: Nope! Not till the next one! As you can see, _they_'ve come to visit _her_. :)

Thank you also to **werewolflemming**, **Hermione at Heart** and **fk306**!

**Everybody who reviews** gets a practice shot at Elladan! JK Besides, he and Legolas got the brunt of the beating-up in the last one, so I think someone else should have a turn, don't you? —laughs maniacally—


	2. Walmart

"We're going to the store to get you guys some regular clothes," Katie explained as she and Megan put on their shoes and pulled on large shirts with hoods. "It's ten at night, so there won't be as many people out, and you won't make quite so big a stir. But you're going to have to leave your weapons here."

"Why?" Legolas asked, pulling the strap of his quiver over his head.

"Because it would be considered threatening. And we don't' want to draw any more attention to you than we absolutely have to. No one can know who you really are." She opened a drawer and they put all their weapons inside.

"Why not?"

"You're _elves_," Katie explained patiently, as if it should be obvious. "As far as the people here are concerned, elves don't exist. At best they'd think you were just playing a role; at worst they'd think you were crazy. And if they found out that you really _are_ elves from another world…" She shook her head. "We'd all be in very deep shit. The government would get involved, and the press… Scientists would want to study you… Lots of trouble." She grabbed a small bag. "So if anybody questions you, lie, or don't say anything. Okay, let's go!"

She and Megan led the four of them down the hall, through some kind of common room, through another hall, and down a stairwell. "It's a good thing we live on a quiet floor," Megan commented. "On some halls, everybody would still be up partying."

It was dark outside, but the area about the building was lit by very bright lamps set high on poles. _These must be the lights run on lightning that Katie talked of,_ Estel thought excitedly.

There were other buildings nearby, and some large objects that he didn't recognize sitting on a gravel-covered yard.

"There isn't enough room for all of us in my car. One or two of you'll have to go with Megs," Katie said.

The twins volunteered, and Megan led them over to one of the strange objects. Estel smiled to see the tiny redhead leading his two tall brothers. He guessed that they would each feel more comfortable with the other twin nearby. He himself was quite glad Legolas was coming with him.

Katie pulled on a handle of a nearby object—what had she called it?... her _car_—and opened a door in its side.

"Hop in," she said cheerfully.

Hesitantly, Estel sat down on the soft chair inside the car, and Katie shut the door, only to open one just behind Estel's seat. Legolas got in here. Katie shut his door, and went around the car to the other side. She slid into the seat on Estel's left, which had some kind of wheel over her lap. "Alright. Lesson number one. How to travel in a car," Katie told them. "Always buckle your seatbelt." She indicated a strap to her left and motioned for them to take hold of their own. Estel and Legolas both found their seatbelts, and Megan showed them how to buckle them.

"What are these devices for?" Legolas asked as Katie buckled her own.

"In the unlikely case that we're in an accident, the seatbelt will keep you from flying out of the windshield," Katie said unconcernedly. "It'll probably save your life."

"Oh, I feel much safer, now," Legolas said nervously. Katie grinned. "You'll be fine. I'm not _that_ bad a driver!" She stuck some kind of key in a keyhole and turned it. A dull roar started up, causing her passengers to jump. She didn't seem to notice. A combination of floor pedals, handles and turning of the wheel had them backing up (Estel and Legolas both grabbed hold of handles on the doors at the first shock of movement) and then moving out of the gravel lot.

Estel decided he did not like the experience of traveling in a car _at all_. They moved through the dark, going far faster than a galloping horse ever could. The twin lights on the front of on-coming cars, traveling just as fast as they, always seemed to pass by far too close for comfort. Estel gripped hard to the door-handle, and he could hear Legolas in the back seat mutter a prayer to Elbereth under his breath.

They took a turn a little sharply, and Estel barely suppressed a gasp. "Relax, guys!" Katie exclaimed. "You're making _me_ nervous!"

Estel could only breathe a heart-felt sigh of thanks to the Valar when Katie finally stopped the car. She showed them where the door-handles were so they could get out. Estel had never seen Legolas move so fast.

In a minute, Megan pulled up beside them, and Elladan and Elrohir joined their younger brother. Both looked a little tense. The four Middle-Earthlings moved close together for some degree of comfort. Estel had not looked around very much as they were traveling, far too concerned with his own fears to observe anything very closely. They were in another lot, this one even more full of cars. They were not on gravel this time, but some sort of black hard material, softer than stone. Before them was a very big, long building with a lit sign in the front reading "WALMART".

They moved across the lot toward the building. Katie and Megan, at the front of their little group, stopped where some cars were passing by. One paused and the driver waved them across. Megan waved in thanks and herded them all across and into the building.

A glass door opened for them, and Estel and his companions looked in vain for the person who had opened it. Katie and Megan seemed unconcerned.

Inside the store, Estel and his friends gaped. The store was _huge_, and very brightly lit. Estel wondered if even the Silmarils had burned so brightly as these lights!

Despite Katie's assurance that there would be fewer people in the store at this time of night, Estel was bewildered by the number of people he saw. The Pennsylvanians seemed as curious about the Middle-Earthlings as the Middle-Earthlings about them. They were dressed in very odd clothing. He nudged Legolas with a smile.

"She was right," he said teasingly in Elvish, "all the women wear trousers!"

Legolas smiled in return, then continued to stare about them. The twins were doing the same. There was a bemusing assortment of wares for sale here, much of which Estel did not recognize. In one area was produce, then a number of small pieces of paper with bright pictures on them, and then a space full of clothing.

It was to this that Megan and Katie led them. Estel wondered how they could tell the male and female clothing apart.

It took quite some time for the girls to find them some proper clothes. The elves were hard to fit, being so tall and slim.

Coming out of the fitting rooms, Estel overheard Megan and Katie in conversation.

"They weren't wild about the car ride," Katie commented to her roommate.

"I know. Neither were the twins. White knuckles on the oh-shit handles the whole way."

"Oh!" Katie noticed Estel. "How did they fit?"

"They are fine," Estel answered with a bemused smile. "May I ask what oh-shit handles are?"

Katie laughed. "The handles inside the doors of the car. Passengers instinctively grab them when something in the driving frightens them—when they're exclaiming, "Oh, shit!"

Legolas stepped out of the fitting rooms with some clothes over his arms. "My goodness, the language you employ!" he jibed mildly.

Katie only smiled back.

In the end, the girls outfitted them with three sets of clothing each, plus belts and the warm shirts they called "hoodies". Megan decided their shoes wouldn't be terribly noticeable. So, armed with their loot, they made their way to what Katie called the "check-outs".

The customers and employees who remained the store at this hour continued to stare curiously at them. The twins were used to this kind of reaction from humans; they rode into human towns sometimes with the rangers. But Estel and Legolas were a little unsettled. True, Estel sometimes garnered surprise when in one of the elven realms other than Imladris, but not to this extent.

The girls appeared to notice everyone's attention as well. "Let's do self-checkout," Megan murmured to Katie, who agreed.

They led the group to a kiosk with a strange machine on it. "Please select a language, or scan an item," a woman's voice spoke loudly. The four Middle-Earthlings all jumped and looked around.

"It's just the computer," Megan hissed as Katie began moving the clothing across part of the machine.

"What is a computer? Where is she?" Elrohir asked.

Megan couldn't help smiling a little. "No, I mean the machine. It's called a computer. It's just a recording of a voice, not a real person."

They were still fascinated by the recording, and watched the computer closely as Katie slid all their purchases over it. It spoke the prices for each item, then gave the total.

"Uh, Kate? How were you planning to pay for all this?" Megan asked.

"Plastic," Katie answered, pulling a small card out of her purse and swiping it through part of the computer. "I'll tell my dad I bought a gown for next year's formal. He'll pay for it."

"Will these be expensive?" Elrohir asked.

"Well, twelve outfits ain't exactly cheap, even at Walmart!" Katie said wryly.

"I am so sorry," Elladan began contritely.

"Don't worry about it," Katie interrupted him with a smile. "It's the least I can do."

Megan had been putting the clothing into blue sacks made of some strange, crackling material as they talked. Now Katie put the card back into her bag and they picked up the sacks and began to walk away.

"Do you not pay for them here?" Legolas asked, confused.

"Oh, I already did," Katie assured him. Apparently deciding the explanation would be too complicated, she didn't elaborate. She and Megan led the way out into the lot of cars again, and drove them all back to the college.

"Oh, man, it's past midnight," Katie exclaimed when they returned to the room.

"Where are we all going to sleep?" Megan asked, suddenly realizing they had a problem.

Katie looked around. "How about the two of us share your bed, and two people can share my bed… and we can borrow Kim's extra mattress for the other two. I'll go wake her up and ask."

"Oh, do not wake anyone," Elrohir interjected. "Elladan and I can sleep in the chairs." Elladan nodded agreement.

"Are you sure?" Megan looked doubtfully at their wooden desk chairs. "They're pretty uncomfortable."

"Elves can sleep standing if we must," Elladan reassured her.

The girls went to the bathroom to change—Katie explained that was the room the Middle-Earthlings had appeared in. Estel and Legolas pulled off their boots and climbed into one of the beds. When the girls returned, Megan moved something on the wall and the light went out. They climbed into the other bed as the twins settled into the two chairs. Katie's laugh suddenly rang out in the darkness. "Can you just imagine the looks on everyone's faces tomorrow morning?"

"Why? Because we are elves?" Elladan asked.

"Well, actually because you're guys—males. And very, very _handsome_ males at that!"

"Why would that be strange?" Legolas asked.

Megan and Katie both began laughing. "Because Watson is a _women's college_!" Katie managed to gasp out between chortles.

The twins exchanged a look in the dark. This was not good.

**TBC**

**

* * *

AN:** Can anybody think of something shorter to call them than "Middle-Earthlings"? It's a bit cumbrous. I would use "men" or "elves", except that they're a mixed-racial group, and "males" sounds really strange. I appreciate any suggestions! 

And please, no sick comments about guys sharing beds! I know it's a little weird for our culture, but up until quite recently it would have been perfectly acceptable, and does NOT, I repeat, NOT mean they're gay!. :)

I figured, since I dumped Katie into Elladan's bed, the least I could do was dump the Middle-Earthlings in a girl's dorm bathroom… Heh. Luckily, only Katie and Megs were in there!

And yes, I go to a women's school. I miss guys. :( lol

**Darkened Dreams**: Actually, I really did think about getting an elf hit by a car… Maybe I still will! —smiles wickedly— GAAAAH! MORE PEOPLE IN BRIGADOON! AAAAAAH! —sings— There in the highlands… The highlands of Scotland…

**Chibi Chingo**: I checked, and I have two. But thanks for keeping an eye on me! I need to start rereading all my work very carefully… :) Thanks!

**Ravens Destiny**: I haven't read Eragon. I really should. Nothing wrong with being a chorus girl! I was a chorus girl for four years. —sings again— Harry Beaton! Break a leg, and let me know how it goes! Yeah, sure. What the heck. —stands back and watches RD take a practice swing at Elladan with her cricket bat—

**EresseElrondiel**: Hey, THAT's an idea… You get your elves, and I'll get mine, and we'll get them all together and take them to Disneyland!

**werewolflemming**: Thanks, you relieve my mind!

**Madd Hatter**: Loyalty duly noted. Promotion in order. :)

Thanks also to **crazycatluver**, **Hermione at Heart**, and **theycallmemary**! I'm so happy people are continuing to read!

**Please review**! The faster you review, the faster we'll get to the next chapter and you can see the impression the elves and ranger have on all those poor college girls! Hee hee…


	3. Eric!

It looks like there is nothing shorter to call the Males of Middle-Earthen Extraction than Middle-Earthlings, or MElings, as I think I'll type it. **Chibi Chingo** suggested "guys", but although that's fine for dialogue, it sounds kind of funny in narrative. **theycallmemary **suggested ME's. So MElings it is! You have been warned. :) On to the story!

* * *

Legolas was woken the next morning by a strange, repetitive noise. He sat up and looked around, momentarily disoriented.

There was a groan from the other side of the room, and Megan sat up as well and touched a device by the bed. Immediately, the noise ceased.

"Seven o'clock, Kate. Get up," she said, nudging her roommate.

Katie groaned. "Stupid eight o'clock classes," she muttered.

"What are you complaining about?" Megan growled. "_You_ don't have class until nine."

"Heh. Sucks to be you." Megan hit her with a pillow. "Ouch! Besides, you always wake me up when you get up anyway, so I don't know what the difference is," she added as Megan trudged out of the room, grabbing some things from her closet as she went.

The MElings stood and stretched, exchanging a few words. Katie took some of the clothing they had bought last night and handed it to them. "I'm gonna go change; you guys should put these on. I'll be right back." She left the room and shut the door firmly behind her.

Elladan looked doubtfully at the clothes he held. "I do not know if I _want_ to look like a Pennsylvanian," he said as Elrohir took off his tunic and pulled on the "t-shirt" Katie had supplied him with. Megan had chosen it; it was dark blue with a stylized white cat's head over the left breast. Megan had called it "the Nittany Lion".

"Oh, it isn't so bad," Elrohir answered. "They seem to have some interesting heraldic devices here."

In a couple of minutes there was a knock on the door, and they let Katie back in. She looked them over appraisingly. "You three need to pull your hair back," she said to the elves. "Estel's will pass, but yours is really long." She passed Legolas a brush and a hair band, and showed him how she wanted them to do their hair—in what she called a "low ponytail".

By the time Megan came back, a bit more awake and her hair all wet, the elves all had their hair in low ponytails. "Wow," she said, glancing over them. "You might actually pull this off!"

"Breakfast time," Katie said, pulling out one of the drawers and handing them each a small, bright pink object.

"What are these?" Estel asked as they examined the things they had given them. Legolas scrutinized his own. It was some strange kind of envelope, of a shiny, flexible material that made a crackling noise. In large silver letters it read, "Nutri-Grain". What was inside, he couldn't even begin to imagine.

"They're food," Katie explained. "Here." She took Estel's and demonstrated how to open the package.

The elves opened their own and looked at the food inside a little apprehensively. Elladan took the lead and took a hesitant bite. He chewed and swallowed it while the other three and the girls watched. "It is not terrible," he said finally. "A little bland, but not bad."

The others ate in silence, and Katie did as well. Megan, meanwhile, did something to the large black device on her desk, which began to hum. A picture suddenly appeared on the black glass. Legolas moved nearer to examine it. There was a magnificently realistic painting of a flower, with tiny stylized pictures and words on it. Megan sat down in front of the device and pulled out a wide, shallow drawer over her lap.

Inside was a black tray of small squares with letters and characters written on them in white, and beside it a dark blue and silvery thing which Megan rested her hand on and moved around a bit. In tandem, a white arrow moved across the screen. The arrow came to rest over one of the small pictures, and there was a clicking noise. Instantly, something appeared behind the glass. With a few more clicks, a small black panel began to display changing abstract patterns of bright colors. Simultaneously, the sound of music sprang up from the direction of the device. The other three MElings hovered over Megan, staring at he psychedelic display.

"What is this?" Elladan asked, indicating the black box.

"It's a computer," Megan answered. "It's a very powerful and useful machine."

"Where is the music coming from?" Legolas asked, gingerly touching the glass panel. A man's voice, singing, could be heard. "Are the musicians in the next room?"

Katie laughed. "No, the music is recorded, just like the woman's voice in the computer last night. The sound comes out of the speakers." She pointed to two black boxes on either side of the larger box.

Katie and Megan explained in very broad terms about the parts of the computer and what they did. Megan got up and began putting books in a bag while Katie demonstrated "typing". Her fingers danced rapidly over the keys, throwing up a sentence on the screen.

"You are quite quick," Elrohir commented admiringly.

"Fingers of Fury, that's her," Megan said with a laugh.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Megan called, and as he was the nearest to the door, Legolas opened it as the person on the other side began to do so.

"Whoop!" the visitor said as it startled her. For a moment, she stared up at him in complete surprise.

She had dark brown, curly hair pulled back in a large, loose knot on the back of her head, and very pretty dark eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles. She wore a light gray hoodie and a pair of jeans, and her shoes were what Katie had called "sneakers".

"Hello," she said, a little dazed.

"Good morning," Legolas answered courteously, stepping back a little farther to let her into the room.

"Hey, Liz," Megan said casually.

Liz took a step inside and tore her gaze away from Legolas, only to be confronted with the sight of the other three very good-looking guys. "Hey," she said, a little uncertainly. "You ready to go to psych?"

"Yeah. Guys, this is Liz," Megan said, beginning the introductions.

"Hey," she repeated weakly.

"And this is Dan, Ron, uh, Lee and Eric," Katie continued, thinking fast. All four of the guys made an identical gesture, bowing their heads and touching their hearts with their right hands. Liz just stared.

"C'mon, let's go," Megan said quickly, grabbing her arm and bustling her out of the room. She threw a speaking glance over her shoulder at Katie as she shut the door firmly behind them.

"Whew," Katie said. "I thought for a second we were goners."

"_Eric?_" Estel asked incredulously.

"Hey, it's the best I could come up with on the spur of the moment. And you'd better learn those names, too. Hopefully Megan can come up with a reason why you're here. Oh, and the next time you meet someone, if it's someone my age, just say, "Hey" or "Hello" or "Pleased to meet you" or something. Don't bow. Nobody does that here. If it's an adult, you might shake their hand. That's it."

Elrohir smiled. "Are you telling us to be _less_ courteous?" he teased.

"Yes! Be less courteous!" Katie agreed, laughing.

Legolas asked a question that had been bothering him since he had woken up. "What was that strange noise this morning?"

"What strange noise?"

"It was a repetitive sound, and Megan sat up and touched that device, and it stopped," he clarified.

"Oh, that! It was the alarm clock." She explained digital clocks to them, as well as the light switch.

"And what is this?" Elrohir asked, indicating an off-white object on one of the dressers.

"That's a phone—a telephone," Katie explained. "We use them to talk to other people across wide distances. See you pick up the receiver," she demonstrated, "and you dial the phone number by pressing buttons. Each specific seven-digit phone number will connect you with another phone somewhere in the world. It rings, and the other person picks up, and then you can talk to each other You speak into his end and listen through this." Her visitors looked skeptical. "Alright, I'll show you. This," she said, digging through her back and producing a small silver object, "is another kind of phone: a cellular, or cell phone. I'll go out in the hall, call the room phone, and you pick it up and we'll talk."

She went out into the hall and shut the door behind her. In a moment, the phone rang. Elladan picked it up and held the receiver gingerly to his ear as she had demonstrated. A look of surprise crossed his face. "Hello," he said. "Yes, I do. One moment." He passed the receiver to Elrohir, who also said a few words, and then on to Estel, who finally passed it to Legolas.

"Hello?" he said uncertainly.

"Hello, Legolas!" He heard Katie's voice, a trifle distorted, through the receiver. "So what do you think of the phone?"

"It is a marvelous device," he said admiringly. "How far away can you be and still speak to others through it?"

"Anywhere there are phone lines," Katie answered. "You can talk to someone on the other side of the world. Alright, I'm going to hang up, now. Put the receiver back on the other part of the phone."

Legolas complied, and in a minute Katie came back into the room. "Oh, man, look at the time!" she said, glancing at the clock. "I have to get to class." She began putting books in a large bag, just as Megan had. "I'm sorry to abandon you like this, but you need to stay in this room until either Megan or I return. You can read something if you like." She gestured to the bookshelves. "I'll be back in two hours!" She left the room.

The four remaining looked at one another. Now what?

000

All four of them made an expedition to the bathroom. Legolas was glad that Megan had demonstrated the zippers on their jeans at the store before they tried them on so that they didn't have to ask her how they worked. Legolas just happened to press a lever on the side of the chamber pot, and jumped back when the water swirled and disappeared, the bowl refilling with clean water. He told the other how it worked, and they returned to Katie and Megan's room.

They each took a seat someplace in the room and looked about them.

"What do you think?" Estel asked in Elvish. "Of our situation, I mean?"

Elladan shook his head. "I don't know what to think. Presumably, we are here to achieve something for Eru that would not have happened otherwise, and then we will be returned to Imladris."

"And we do not know how long that may take," Legolas stated flatly.

"It may not be long," Estel said hopefully. "Katie was only in Middle Earth for a little over a week."  
"We must hope we are only here for that long. But we must remember that it could be a very long time," Elrohir reminded him. They all fell silent for a minute. Without speaking, thy all realized how very thankful they were that they had each other and were not alone here.

"I think I know how Katie must have felt," Legolas said quietly. "She laughed so much because she wanted to forget that feeling of helplessness."

Elladan shook himself. "Well, we must remember that we all have a purpose in the future of Middle Earth," he said bracingly. "We will return sooner or later."

By the time Megan returned to the room, the four MElings were sitting in various positions around the room, reading Katie's books. Estel was reading _Hamlet_, Legolas had his nose in _Macbeth_, and the twins were engrossed in _The Chronicles of Narnia_. Megan herself settled down to her homework for another hour until Katie came in. When she saw what their visitors were reading, she laughed.

"Enjoying yourselves?" she asked, dropping her bag on the floor.

"Yes, and you?" Estel looked up from his book and smiled.

"Well, math class is never enjoyable." Katie shrugged. "What do you think of the play?"

"I do not like the Prince of Denmark much," Estel admitted. "He vacillates and does not kill his uncle when he knows he needs to."

Katie laughed. "I agree. Hamlet drove me nuts. Good play, though." She moved to her desk and flipped a switch, starting up her computer.

After awhile, someone knocked on the door. "Come in," Megan and Katie called in unison.

"Hey, guys, you want some lunch?" It was Liz and another girl—quite tall, with dark hair in a ponytail and dark eyes. She wore the ubiquitous t-shirt and jeans.

"Yeah." Megan closed her book and stood. "Dana, this is Dan, Ron, Lee and Eric. Dan, Ron and Eric are Katie's cousins, and Lee's Eric's friend. This is Dana."

"Hey," Dana said casually.

"Hey," the MElings all answered, as instructed.

All eight of them trooped out into the hall. Legolas found himself next to Dana, and was surprised to find that she was nearly six feet tall, the height of an elven female, while Megan, on his other side, was not quite five feet tall, only about a foot and a half over hobbit-size.

By the main stairwell, Liz paused and pressed a button on the wall, which lit up. "Bummer," she said, and they all went down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairwell, they entered a large room with wall-to-wall carpeting and a number of comfortable-looking chairs and couches about the room, and green plants and end tables. It was cheerful and well-lit, with large windows. They went through another door, and Megan, Dana and Liz held up something on their keys to a person sitting at a table by the door. "We'll save a table," Liz told Katie.

Katie paid for her guests' meals, and then took them into what must have been the dining hall. It was a very large room, even larger than the one they had just come through, with a wooden floor and about thirty large, round tables surrounded by chairs. On two sides were very high windows, and chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

The tables were full of girls, mostly dressed the same way as their hosts. Almost all of them had hair just past their shoulders or shorter. As Katie led them toward the kitchens, the tables they passed fell silent and stared after them. Legolas, with his acute elven hearing, could catch some of the things they said.

"Woo! Where'd she pick _them_ up?"

"Oh my God. _They're _not from frat row!"

Someone whistled, and several of them laughed good-naturedly and went back to their meal. But one girl called after them, "Katie! Who're your friends?"

Katie ignored them, blushing furiously. They soon reached the relative safety of the kitchen. Katie turned back to her guests. They each had an identical look of shock on their faces.

"Welcome to women's college," she stated flatly.

**TBC**

**

* * *

AN: This is really hard to write. It takes forever just to describe them getting in the car, or Megan starting up the computer! I hope you don't find it tedious.**

**BabeBunny**: Thanks! Always happy to see new faces. :)

**Ravens Destiny**: That's what my roommate said. She thinks elves are girly. I've been trying to change her mind. :) Ooh, that sounded like it hurt! Poor Elladan! —runs to him and hugs him— Did the mean ole' reviewer hurt you? Here, let me kiss it and make it better! lol It'd be fun to be co-authors with someone. I oughta collaborate with someone sometime.

**EresseElrondiel**: —imagines Legolas in a dress, and Katie (much shorter than him) introducing him as her little sister— Heh.

**ALMENEL**: Wow, I didn't think girl's schools were all that prevalent. Chibi Chingo also said she went to an all-girl's high school. They're not very common around here!

**Darkened Dreams**: —sings— When we walked down the brae, not a word did we say, it was (beat) almost like bein' in love!

Thanks also to **ChibiChingo**, **Hermione at Heart**, **Madd Hatter** and **theycallmemary**! I loved seeing all those reviews in my inbox!

If I get a lot of **reviews**, I might have Watson College hold a karaoke night! (I know, I know… Bribery is such an ugly word.)


	4. Potatoes Au Gratin

Katie showed them where to get trays and silverware. "You can eat anything in here," she said, gesturing to the bustling lines of students serving themselves food. "Most things have labels over them telling what they are. But be warned!" She dropped her voice as a kitchen-worker walked past. "Most of the food is pretty nasty."

With Katie's help, they successfully navigated the food lines. Legolas ended up with a "deli sandwich", some "French fries" (which looked suspiciously like chips), and some "potatoes au gratin". Katie had looked a little leery of this last choice, but Legolas decided to try them anyway.

Finally, they took cups and Katie showed them where to get water. "See, you press the cup against this lever, and, voila!" Water poured into the cup. Legolas wondered if "voila" meant "water". "Now you try."

Estel placed his cup against the lever on the right. "Oh, you don't want to use—" Katie began as Estel pressed the lever. Water squirted out sideways and sprayed the front of Elrohir's tunic. Elrohir began to laugh. "…That one," Katie finished, grinning.

"Sorry, Ro—_Ron_," Estel corrected him, laughing as well.

Katie and the MElings joined Dana, Liz and Megan at one of the tables. Megan had picked one pretty far away from most of the rest of the students. Legolas still could see the girls casting them curious glances from across the room.

"Oh, man, you're trying the potatoes au gratin?" Dana said, looking at Legolas's plate with obvious disgust. "Katie, didn't you warn him?"

Katie shrugged. "He's going to be intrepid."

"Go on." Dana rested her chin in her hand. "Try 'em. This oughta be good."

Cautiously, Legolas speared some on his fork and put it in his mouth. He had to resist the urge to gag, and he quickly swallowed it and gulped down some water, trying to wash out the taste. Katie started to laugh at his expression, and Liz and Dana applauded. "Bravo," Dana said dryly, "Encore." Even Megan was grinning widely, and Legolas's male friends looked rather amused.

Legolas drank so much water so fast that he choked a little on the last of it. Katie patted him on the back as he coughed. "You're a braver man than I am, Gunga Din," she said with admiration.

Legolas was about to point out to her that she was not a man, and neither was he, but then he realized that Liz and Dana thought he was one, and he shuddered to think what they would assume if he said he wasn't. But his confusion wasn't visible; the conversation had moved on to other things.

"Liz, the food is supposed to go in your mouth, not your lap," Katie was saying jocularly as her friend dropped part of what she was eating. Legolas was surprised that instead of laughing or glaring at Katie, Liz turned bright red and dropped her gaze to her tray.

The twins and Estel were eating unconcernedly. Legolas tentatively tried some of the food on his tray (avoiding the vile potatoes au gratin), and discovered it was definitely edible. Some of it was not the best he had ever tasted, but it wouldn't make him physically sick. All four of them ate in silence. There was nothing they could add to the conversation, and having their own conversation was out—all they would talk about was connected with Middle Earth, and that subject was clearly verboten in public. So each of them retreated into his own thoughts.

Legolas wondered if only a few hours would have passed in Middle Earth when they returned, just as it had been for Katie. He certainly hoped so. He could only imagine the furor and worry it would cause if the four of them appeared to have simply disappeared—the grief it would cause, both in Imladris and in Mirkwood. His father, he knew, would be heart-broken. And Lord Elrond! He had lost his wife to the Undying Lands—for him to lose both twins and his adopted son would be terrible. And for Arwen to lose both her brothers at once!

Dana's voice brought him abruptly back to the present. "So you guys are Katie's cousins, huh?" she asked the other three.

"Er…" Elladan saw Megan giving him a significant look. "Yes. We are."

"What part of England are you from?"

"London," Katie answered quickly for them.

"Really? You don't have Cockney accents."

"Not all Londoners are Cockneys," Katie objected. "Hey, why is Candy giving Tosha dirty looks?" she asked, quickly diverting the attention from their guests.

The MElings all breathed a sigh of relief as Liz and Dana took the bait. "Oh, Tosha started going out with that guy at Mer," Liz explained.

"Mer?" Legolas asked, and instantly regretting bringing the attention back to himself and the other three. But no one looked like they were going to bring the subject back up. "Merricksburg University, in the next town over," Megan explained.

"You mean the guy Candy brought back to the dorm two Fridays ago?"

"Yeah. I don't know why they go down there to Frat Row anyway," Liz continued. "But anyway. Candy really wouldn't need an excuse to be mad at Tosha. They're both eque-bitches," she concluded.

Legolas's eyes widened, and he exchanged shocked glances with Estel. The occasional "shit" that Katie let drop was one thing, but this was very inappropriate, especially for a female, and in mixed company!

When everyone was done eating, they stood and carried their trays over to an open door by the kitchen. Legolas watched the girls carefully to see what to do. They emptied their cups into a bucket and put the tray on some kind of slanted counter with little wheels on it. They pushed their trays down this contraption and the young man farther down the counter sorted out the silverware and plates, etc. Legolas imitated them. He didn't understand why Megan smirked at Katie after they were out of view of the youth on tray duty. Katie rolled her eyes.

"Po?" Liz asked, and the others agreed. Legolas didn't even ask.

"Why didn't you say hi to your friend?" Megan asked in a teasing voice.

"Shaddup," Katie said, half-annoyed and half-laughing.

"What friend?" Elrohir asked.

"Johnnie. The guy in the kitchen. He's got a crush on Katie. He _liiiiikes_ her," Megan added as an afterthought, realizing they probably wouldn't understand "crush".

"Shuddup, Megs," Katie said menacingly, "or I'll get Dana to sit on you." Legolas couldn't help but smile at the mental image of the tall Dana tackling the diminutive Megan to the floor and sitting on her.

"Are you calling me fat?" Dana called over her shoulder.

"No! I'm calling you big!" Katie shot back. "And I'm calling Megan vertically challenged," she added.

"I'm not vertically challenged!" Megan protested loudly. "I'm energy efficient!"

The other three girls laughed, and the MElings simply shrugged.

They left the cafeteria and headed down a curved flight of stairs, through another room of comfortable furniture, and into a hallway, one side of which was covered in a pattern of gold-painted metal and little squares of glass, with numbers on each square. Each of the girls went to a particular square and turned a silver knob back and forth until the little square opened like a door, and then they pulled papers out.

"It's the post office—the P.O., or _po_," Katie explained in a quiet whisper as she walked over with her papers. "It's how we get our mail on campus—our messages." She walked over to a large silver area of the wall, just like the one they had seen on the third floor, and pressed the button with the arrow pointing up. Instantly, there was the sound of a bell and the silver panel slid back to reveal a small wood-paneled room. "Score," Katie said. "This is an elevator," she hurriedly explained in an even quieter whisper as she led them in and the others approached. She knew the elves at least, and probably Estel as well, could still hear her. "Once we're inside, it will move, and take us up to the third floor." Legolas had his doubts about this. How could a room move and take them up to the third floor?

The girls all piled in (it was quite a tight fit with eight people inside the tiny room) and Katie pressed a sequence of numbered buttons, and then a large round button with a "3" on it. The doors slid shut again, and sure enough, there was a little jolt, and Legolas could feel quite distinctly that they were moving upwards. The shock it gave him caused him to jump a little, but he doubted Liz and Dana had noticed. Estel convulsively gripped his arm, and both of the twins pressed themselves against the wall. After a few tense moments and three dings from the elevator, the doors slid open, and sure enough, they were in the third floor sitting room again.

"Do you wanna work on Latin?" Liz asked Megan as they filed down the hall.

"Yeah. I'll come to your room. And you and Dana can do Spanish," she added to Katie.

"No, I'm gonna stand guard while these guys take a shower," Katie answered. "Do you two have any extra towels? I've got two extra, but I need two more."

"What, didn't they bring any luggage?" Dana asked as she went to fetch the towels. Katie followed her down the hall.

"Um, no. It was kind of a last-minute thing," Legolas heard Katie hedge as they entered the room.

"How does one "take a shower"?" Elladan asked as Megan gathered up her books and left for Liz's room.

"Katie'll explain," she called over her shoulder. As Katie passed her in the doorway, she added, "Oh, and I said the three of you were Katie's cousins from England, and Legolas was your friend. I covered us by saying you were reenactors, and sometimes you all slip into character, and that your pointed ears were probably a genetic thing, or a birth defect or something."

"_Birth defect?.!_" all three elves exclaimed indignantly, but she was gone already. "And what is a reenactor?" Estel asked Katie, who was trying to hide her grin.

"Somebody who imitates how people lived in the past," she explained, pulling some soap and bottles off her closet shelf. "The most common ones around here are the guys at Gettysburg who reenact the Civil War. Okay, let's go!"

She led them down to a door by the bathroom. The room was rather small, with four stalls with curtains over them on one side and a row of hooks on the other wall.

"Alright, here are the showers," Katie said, walking over to one. "And listen up, 'cause I'm only explaining this once!" She smiled at her bewildered guests, and reached into the stall. "Here are the taps. The "H" stands for hot, the "C" for cold. Turn them to the left to turn on the water or to get more, and to the right to turn them down or off." She turned a half-sphere above her head toward the wall, then turned the cold tap to the left. Just like with the tap in the lunchroom, the water sprayed down. After a moment, she turned the tap to the right again, and the water turned off. "You can adjust the temperature by turning just one knob to the left or right. Turn it off when you're done.

"Here's a towel and washcloth for each of you, but I've only got two bars of soap and two bottles of shampoo, so you'll have to share. Shampoo is soap for your hair. Everybody clear?" They all nodded. "Okay. I'm going to sit in the hall and guard the door. Call me if you need anything."

"Thank you," they all chorused as she shut the door behind her.

000

Showering was a very novel experience for all four of them, especially with the hot and cold running water. "It is like standing under a waterfall," Estel observed, "only warm!"

After their showers, they all went back to the room. Katie had to go to work and Megan had class, so they were once again left to their own devices. Legolas was actually a little relieved. It was perfectly comfortable with only the four of them in the room, but it was a bit crowded when Megan and Katie were there, and when Dana and Liz had been added to the mix, it was positively claustrophobic. Dorm rooms were definitely not made for entertaining large parties of people.

It wasn't just being crowded that was making Legolas claustrophobic. None of them had been out of the building since the night before. He was used to being out in nature, and even when he was indoors, it rarely felt like it. Elven architecture generally attempted to bring the outdoors in. It was a rare day indeed when he did not leave the confines of a building.

They all sat in contemplative silence for a few minutes. "You are very quiet today, little brother," Elrohir finally said, smiling affectionately at the young human.

"What is there to say?" Estel answered, slipping into Elvish. "We cannot speak in public." He paused. "How is it Katie could recognize things in our world, but hers is so alien to me?"

"She said 'reenactors' imitated a historic lifestyle. Perhaps our world is what her world used to be like," Elladan suggested. They all pondered this.

"Do you think Middle Earth will ever look like this?" Elrohir asked quietly.

None of them really wanted to answer that question.

**TBC**

**

* * *

AN: Yes, again a weird place to end. I'm finding this one very hard to write. Expect it to be a good deal shorter than the last (which will then allow me to write the third. Thank goodness! The plot bunnies are eating me alive).**

Liz and Dana are completely based on my two friends. Kim lives down the hall from us. She has an extra mattress in her room because she's an upperclassman, so she is allowed a single. Merricksburg University is based on the University in my hometown, which is not far from my college. The girls here go there to "Frat Row" to party. Having grown up in that town and heard horror stories from the poor people who live near Frat Row, I think they're all insane. Intrigues between Tosha and Candy are based on real issues between girls here. "Eque-bitches" is Liz's term for the not-terribly-nice girls who abound in the equestrian program at our school. The lunch conversation basically sounds completely like us. Unfortunately, "Johnnie" is not fictional. The exchanges about him are pretty realistic. I recently told Megan if she mentioned him again, I'd drown her in a punch bowl. And the food here _is_ pretty terrible sometimes.

**EresseElrondiel:** Yes, Hamlet drove me a little crazy, too. But it's not nearly as bad as Tess of the D'Urbervilles… Oh gosh, a frilly dress? I read a fanfic once in which Arwen challenged Haldir and Legolas to an egg-and-spoon race wearing frilly dresses and high-heeled shoes… Can't remember what it was called, but it was a riot.

**ChibiChingo:** Yes, I'm not terribly fond of "MElings", but I can't seem to think of anything better…

**Hermione at Heart:** Yes, and **for all of you out there who were also wondering, Estel is Aragorn.** He was raised in the House of Elrond (Elrond is said to have "raised him as his own", which is why I call him the twins' little brother), and they called him "Estel", which means "Hope". (If you notice the line in RotK about "I bring Hope to men, I keep none for myself—it takes on a lot more meaning if you know that Elrond called him Hope.) Gilraen, I believe, only died shortly before the War of the Ring, but it seems to be a convention in fanfiction that she is _never_ written about. I don't know why. But it seems I've kept up the tradition! Aragorn was told of his true name, history, and destiny and given the Ring of Barahir and the Shard of Narsil around the time he turned twenty. So by the time of these fanfictions, he knows who he is. Which is why it's so crazy-weird for him when Katie hails him as Macbeth, "who shalt be king hereafter!" because it's actually true, but there's no way Katie could know that.

**Ravens Destiny**: Hee hee! Yes, one of my favorite quotes from play practice always was, "It's a good idea. But it's more of a bad idea than a good idea." Oh, don't steal him! What, isn't hitting him over the head with the cricket bat enough?.!

**Almenal:** Most colleges here are co-ed, too, just not all of them (obviously). :) So where are you from?

**theycallmemary:** Elves behind the wheel… Oh dear. That's a frightening thought.

**RenegadeKitsune:** Poor guys? What about poor _me_? I have to live at women's college with _no_ guys! lol

**DarkenedDreams**: You're right; I never thought about that. Eric really does sound like Aragorn! But Katie doesn't know Estel's real name is Aragorn. Oh my gosh. Legolas getting a swirly. That _would_ be sad. Oh, wow, if I ever really want to go in for the "torture the elves" thing (more than I do already) I would so do that… So… I take it you and Ravens Destiny go to the same school? lol That's so hilarious; you both told me the same quote! Alright, I'll give you another play thing from my past: the time my friend Tristin, on set design, accidentally screwed a set-piece to the stage. That was funny. I need to go and check out you guys' work sometime!

Thanks also to **BabeBunny**, **Laer4572**, **werewolflemming** and **Madd Hatter**!

Well, I certainly got plenty of reviews! So it looks like they're up for a karaoke night! I just have to figure out where to put it in the story…

I'm sorry it was a long time between posts this time. This fic is kicking my butt.

My last final is Wednesday, and I'm moving home Thursday! I've got plenty of good intentions for this summer: clean my room, catch up on my pleasure reading, and write plenty of fanfiction! But you know what happens to good intentions… The road to the void of Melkor is paved with them!. Or so the hobbits would say. :) So never hesitate to bug me incessantly about updating!

Any good ideas, any opinions on an elf karaoke night, comments, whatever, **Please Review!**


	5. Stargazing

Dinner passed much the same as lunch had. During a pause in the conversation, Katie glanced around the room. She giggled. "I'm amazed the floor isn't slick with drool," she said in a low voice. The girls all laughed.

"I don't understand," Elrohir said with a smile. "The food is not _that_ appetizing."

That elicited another laugh. "No, I mean you guys," Katie clarified.  
"Us? What about us?"

"Oh, geez. Someone else explain. Liz?"

Liz turned red and seemed at a loss for words. Dana took point.

"They find you highly attractive," she explained slowly. "You're eye-candy."

Estel began to laugh.

000

As they passed the first room on the hall, the door was open. "Kiiiiiiimpossible!" Katie crowed.

"Hey! What are you guys up to?" the girl inside answered.

"Just came back from dinner. Hey, we're putting up a couple of guests, and we've run out of beds. Can we borrow the mattress off your top bunk?"

"Yeah, sure. Hey, one of them could sleep in here," she offered.

"Um, I think your boyfriend would object to that," Katie said, motioning the MElings into the room.

Kim's eyes widened, but she laughed. "Yeah, I think he would. Hey, I'm Kim," she introduced herself, waving to them.

"My cousins, Dan, Ron and Eric, and their friend Lee," Katie said quickly, and moved to pull the mattress off Kim's top bunk.

"Here. Let us," Elladan offered, and he and Legolas smoothly lifted the unwieldy pallet down.

"Thanks," Katie said, as Kim exclaimed, "Wow, you guys are strong! I'll have to call you when I want to rearrange my furniture!"

Katie laughed. "Alright! Off to the room!" she commanded in a deep voice.

"It was nice meeting you," Elrohir said to Kim with a bow as the others left with the mattress.

Kim looked impressed. "You too," she managed to get out.

"You guys are regular Don Juans," Katie said as they put the mattress on the floor, between the beds. It barely fit. "Charmin' the socks off everybody!"

"The socks off?" Legolas mouthed to Elrohir, who shrugged.

The MElings spent the rest of the evening reading, as Megan and Katie sat at their computers and… well, Legolas didn't know what they were doing. There was intermittent clacking of keys and clicking of the mouse. Legolas finished reading Hamlet and wandered over to stand behind Katie. She was typing words into a little box on the screen. She entered a few lines, and then a few more lines appeared in response, which she had not written.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

She looked up. "I'm talking to my friend Kara from high school."

"Talking to her?" He leaned on the back of her chair.

"Yeah. This is instant messenger. You can type back and forth with people in real-time. So it's like you're talking to one another. Come here." She scooted over on the chair, making room for him. He sat down beside her, and she began to explain about the internet. She showed him how to check email, how to use a search engine, and a few other things, all the time carrying on a conversation with Kara.

Katie explained about blonde jokes, and pulled up a page of them. Some of them, Legolas didn't understand, but quite a few were very funny, and Katie soon had him laughing out loud.

So when Liz walked in the room, Legolas and Katie were sitting together on one chair, laughing uproariously. Liz looked at them with a strange look on her face, then shook her head. "Hey, I'm hungry. Do you guys want to go to McDonald's?"

Elladan glanced at the clock. "But it's after ten o'clock!" he said. "Isn't it a little late to visit anyone?"

"McDonald's, Dan. The restaurant," Katie said over her shoulder to him, as if he were just confused. "Sure," she added to Liz. "You guys want to come?"

All four MElings and Megan agreed. Legolas felt much better with the prospect of going outside, even if it was at ten o'clock at night.

They once again took two cars; Katie and Liz both drove. Dana hadn't come, but they still made a party of seven when they all piled out of the cars outside the restaurant. Megan laughed.

"They're used to seeing the three of us at ten o'clock, but it'll be a new experience for them to see all of you!"

The people behind the counter inside did indeed look a bit surprised to see so many people coming in together so late, but they handled it with aplomb. Legolas was impressed with how fast they served the girls their food. None of the MElings wanted anything, having eaten their fill at dinner.

Katie only had some chips, which she called "French fries". She and Dana ate an amazing amount of sauce on their "fries". It was red and was called "ketchup". While they ate, the girls chatted about anything and everything.

When they returned to the school, Elladan and Elrohir took an identical deep breath of night air. "Let's go for a walk," Elladan suggested.

"Yeah, sure," Katie agreed. "We'll be up in a while," she added to Megan and Liz.

"Okay," Megan answered, but Liz didn't answer.

The night was warm, and Legolas thankfully breathed in the smell of the trees along the road. They all walked in silence for a time. "It feels good to breathe free again," Estel said quietly.

Katie stopped walking. "Oh my God," she said slowly, "you guys haven't been outside all day, have you?" She put her hand on her head in disbelief. "I am so sorry! I didn't mean to imprison you in that tiny dorm room!"

"Do not blame yourself," Elrohir said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You were trying to keep us safe."

"Well, there are plenty of other ways I can keep you safe," Katie said, shaking her head. They started walking again. After a few minutes, she snapped her fingers. "I've got it. How about you spend tomorrow in the library?"

Elladan's eyes lit up. "Is there a library here?"

"Of course! It's a college," Katie explained patiently. "There are tons of books, big rooms to wander around and read in, and this really pretty courtyard. You can be inside or outside, with something to do, and places you can talk without worrying about people overhearing you. And it's _much_ bigger than the dorm room. How does that sound?"

"It sounds excellent," Legolas said. "Thank you, Katie."

She turned back with a smile to answer him, but cut herself off. Elrohir had stopped and was staring up at the sky. "What's the matter, Ro?"

Elladan walked back to him. "What is it?"

"Look," he said, still staring upward.

All four of them looked upwards. The other MElings gasped. "What?" Katie asked. "I don't see anything."

"No," Legolas said, staring at the black sky. "There is nothing to see."

"What?"

"There are no stars," Estel answered. "What has happened to the stars?"

"Nothing," Katie answered, bewildered. "There are just a lot of lights coming off the city. I can see a couple of stars—over there. You can see 'em better away from the city."

"Elrohir?" Elladan said quietly.

Elrohir shook himself and looked back at his twin with a tight smile. "It just gave me a bit of a shock, that is all," he answered him in Elvish.

Legolas looked at the two of them in some concern, but Estel turned back to Katie. "You told me once that the lights of your world dimmed out the stars. I wasn't sure whether to believe you or not!"

"When was that?" Elladan asked as they began moving again.

"Oh. Um, the night after Legolas got sick," Katie said quickly.

"But Estel spent the night in Legolas' room," Elladan observed.

"Yeah. Well, I kinda had a nightmare, and I went and talked to him for awhile." Katie smiled a little sheepishly.

Elrohir returned fully to the conversation. "Have you had any nightmares since you have returned?"

"No," she said flippantly. He raised one eyebrow in vague disbelief. "You look like your father," she said, which caused the others to laugh. "Oh, alright. Yes, I've had a couple. Not bad, though. They faded a lot when I came home. I think I'm starting to repress the details. Which is just as well."

Legolas listened with one ear as the conversation moved on. He was glad to see Elrohir distracted by another's distress. The spectacle of a near-starless sky had given them all a jolt, the elves particularly, but it seemed to have particularly disturbed the younger twin. Legolas was sure that Elrohir's heritage had something to do with it. After all, when your grandfather was the morning and evening star, a blank sky would tend to upset you!

But tomorrow, it would be better. They would have an entire library to distract them. Both of the twins, and Estel, too, were quite fond of reading. He himself was not averse to it. And they would have a change of scenery, and a much larger room to occupy. Tomorrow was sure to be better.

**TBC**

**

* * *

AN: I know, it's quite a bit shorter than usual. But I've got a ton to cover in the next chapter, so it should definitely make up for this one! I might have had this posted earlier, but I moved back from college Thursday morning, and then started cleaning my room. I'm mostly done now, two and a half days later… Seriously, my room is cleaner than it has been in _years_. Today is the first day I turned on my computer since I got home! I've been cleaning my room the entire time!** I know, it's quite a bit shorter than usual. But I've got a ton to cover in the next chapter, so it should definitely make up for this one! I might have had this posted earlier, but I moved back from college Thursday morning, and then started cleaning my room. I'm mostly done now, two and a half days later… Seriously, my room is cleaner than it has been in . Today is the first day I turned on my computer since I got home! I've been cleaning my room the entire time! 

**Laer4572**: You're giving me ideas… mwa ha ha… Oh, and if Haldir shows up, you're welcome to help out all you like!

**EresseElrondiel**: The problem with all these songs, is that they'd have to _know_ them before they can sing them for karaoke… And I doubt very much that "Oops, I Did It Again" was ever sung in the Hall of Fire… Elrond would ban it…

**Arlindor**: Agreed. Even scarier, Tolkein saw Middle Earth as an ancient Earth—our world, just about 7000 years in the past. So it _will_ look this!

**Doredhil**: Thanks! I'm trying to be as unconventional as possible. :) Well, both my roomie and Liz are horsie girls, and neither of them are eque-bitches, so if you're not one yet, I'd say you're safe. :)

**RavensDestiny**: Um, dear, if Elladan is wearing a kilt, and you drag him in by the ankles… Well, let's just say, we will discover for sure whether they wear underwear under kilts… Kinda like Jeff, huh? Well, if you can't scare up some tears, just cover your mouth with your hand and turn away like you can't look. Very dramatic, no tears involved. :) But actually, by the time you read this, I suppose you will have finished the last night anyway. "Dead, dead Harry": I love it! And yay, a long review! I must read your fanfiction…

**Hermione at Heart**: As soon as I get the time in between cleaning my room:)

**werewolflemming**: Mmm… Big excitement, you say? Right-o!

**Darkened Dreams**: Lucky people! Getting tshirts! Hope the final night goes off alright!

Thanks also to **Those Rainy Days**, **Madd Hatter** and **Arwen Skywalker**! Every review brings a smile to this writer's face! —pulls the most frightening grin you've ever seen—

**Please review**! If you say something startling enough, it may force me to update rather than cleaning out my closet:)


	6. The Library

"Where are my shoes?" Megan wondered out loud, searching under the edge of the bed.

"I ate them," Katie announced without turning away from her computer.

Megan ignored her, apparently quite accustomed to such comments. "Oh, here they are!" She pulled the shoes out of a corner and began to pull them on.

It was the next morning, and both girls were trying to get ready to go to class. The four MElings, meanwhile, were sitting on the beds, attempting to keep out of their way. It was quite difficult in such a little room. Elrohir reflected, for the dozenth time, that it was not made to house six people, especially of two different sexes.

Megan left for her class, and as Katie was at her computer, the other four could more easily move around the room. In a moment, Katie began to giggle.

"Oh my gosh," she gasped. "I want to play you guys a song—and I admit beforehand, I'm just doing it to see your reaction."

The MElings looked at each other with a mixture of amusement and apprehension. When the music came blasting out of the speakers (Katie appeared to have started playing at the middle of the song), all four of them instantly put their hands over their ears to shut out the sound. The vocals sounded like Dwarvish: "Du hast mich gefragt und ich hab nichts gesagt. Willst du bis der tod euch scheidet…"

"Gah!" Legolas exclaimed. "Make it stop!"

Katie laughed, but did as he asked. The noise ceased, and they cautiously removed their hands from their ears. A few more clicks, and a much more pleasant sound filled the room. "Ahhhh," Katie said, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes in bliss. "Josh Groban. I heart him."

"Heart him?" Estel asked.

"Love him. Fantastic voice." Elrohir had to agree that the young man had a beautiful singing voice. "Too bad he's gay," Katie continued absently.

"What is wrong with being gay?" Elladan asked. "I find cheerful people enjoyable to be around… Otherwise I would not spend so much time with _you!_"

Katie paused in amused shock for a moment, then laughed. "Never mind. You don't want to know," she said cryptically.

Elrohir listened to the words of the song. The music itself was lovely, and the words! He was struck again at the way they seemed to fit with the songs and tales of Middle Earth and of Aman. "Soar to uncreated light"…

Soon after the song ended, Katie "put up an away message", as she called it, and pulled on her hoodie and her backpack.

"Alright, guys, time to go!" she said cheerfully, slipping on her "flip-flops".

She led them out of the building. It was the first time any of them had been outdoors in her world in the daylight, and they looked all around as she led them down a paved path along the black stone road. Rising before them were two gray stone buildings, and they entered the one on the left. They climbed a few stairs into the main room.

Elrohir smiled as he gazed up and around. They were in a very large, well-lit room. Down the center was a long table, with a number of computers on it. Along the walls were display cases with old books in them, pedestals displaying small pieces of sculpture, and many shelves of books. These shelves sectioned off small areas, some with a table and chairs in them for studying, some with beautiful couches and chairs for one to sit at their ease while they read. There were also large windows, through which he could see green branches moving gently in the breeze.

The room had a second level, as well. All along the room at the second story level was a railing, and there were more shelves of books. The second story soared up to a cathedral ceiling, and the walls displayed great, arched windows.

"Alright, here's your basic tour," Katie said in a low voice. Elrohir was pleased to note that there was silence maintained in this library for the sake of those who studied here. That was as it should be. "It's mostly children's books on this level. Those are mostly reference books," she pointed to the upper level, "and there's a little white marble stairway to it hidden over there on the wood-paneled wall. The other stairway is back here." She beckoned them past a wide desk, where a student sat working at a computer. "That's the main desk; ask the person sitting there if you have any questions." She gave them a brief tour of the library, which included the large rooms of bookshelves in the back section of both stories, plus the basement. "And here," she said triumphantly, pointing to a door, "is the door to the courtyard. It's very small, but it's secluded, and almost nobody ever goes in there. I discovered it my first week here, when I was bored out of my skull and starting to get homesick." She pushed the door open, and they looked out into an admittedly small, but quite charming little garden, enclosed on three sides by the walls of the library. "If you get sick of being cooped up indoors, you can come out here. Also, there are picnic tables out there," (she gestured beyond the courtyard), "just please don't get onto the road. I don't want to have to scrape you off the asphalt with a spatula. Any questions?"

There were none. "Alrighty, then. I've got to get to class. I'll come back to get you for lunch," she assured them, and walked out through the courtyard. When she was gone, the MElings looked at one another.

"What on Arda is asphalt?" Estel wondered aloud.

000

A tap on Elrohir's shoulder made him jump. He had been so absorbed in what he was reading, he didn't even hear anyone approaching.

"Easy there, Ro," Katie said, smiling down at him. "Absorbed in our book, are we?"

"Is this true?" Elrohir asked, pointing to the book. It displayed a picture of a small child, his belly distended with hunger. "Is it true that there are children starving in these countries, that people are being killed by AIDS, that people are being massacred…" He trailed off.

"Yeah," Katie said, looking concernedly at him. "It's true. I don't think they'd print it if it wasn't true."

"But that is terrible!"

"Yes, it is." Katie leaned over his chair. "But such things have gone on all through history—I'm sure they go on in Middle Earth, even if they're too far away for you to have heard about it."

Elrohir shook his head. He had been terribly saddened by the things he had read. He had read about the Holocaust the death tolls of the World Wars, about the collapse of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers, about the American Civil War, and now he was reading about the problems in Africa. It had not been a pleasant stay for him in the library.

Estel walked over. "Is it time for lunch?" he asked Katie.

"Yep. Come on, let's go find Dan and Legolas."

The other two elves were in the courtyard. Legolas sat on the ground with his eyes shut and a smile on his face, and Dan was seated on the stone bench, reading a volume of poetry.

"What are you reading?" Katie asked, tipping the book up a bit so she could read the cover. "Oh! Emily Dickinson! I _love_ her!"

Elladan smiled. "Her meter and rhyme are very quaint, but she deals with quite philosophical subjects, for all that," he observed. "I must admit, though," he added, "I sometimes do not know what she is referring to."

Legolas stood and brushed himself off. "Have you come to collect us for luncheon?" he asked.

"Yeah. Come on." She led them back into the building to put Elladan's book away. As the elder twin followed the group down a corridor, he caught the look on Elrohir's face.

"Are you well, _muindor-nín_?" he asked quietly, very concerned.

Elrohir shook his head. "I do not know," he answered in Elvish.

000

Katie had to work after lunch, so her guests went back to the library. After two hours, she returned. She discovered Legolas and Estel up on the second level, and Elladan among the stacks, but it took the four of them a bit longer to locate Elrohir. He was sitting on the stone bench in the courtyard, staring at the ground.

"Come on, Ro," Katie said cheerfully. "I'm taking you guys out on the town."

For the first few minutes, the MElings were startled by every vehicle that passed them. "They won't hit us if we stay on the sidewalk," Katie repeatedly reassured them.

Even so, the noise was incredible. "Is it never quiet in Pennsylvania?" Legolas asked in exasperation after a car horn had made them all jump, even Katie. "I have been aware of a slight hum everywhere we have gone since we arrived here."

"That's just the sound of our electrical appliances," Katie responded. "There are places in the country where you can't hear it as much."

"There are at least fewer vehicles at the college," Elladan observed, putting his hand to his nose in disgust as a particularly smelly car drove past.

Katie paused to respond to him, and Elrohir stepped off the sidewalk to cross an alley. There was the sound of a car horn, and the twin made a magnificent leap backward, almost colliding with Estel in the process. The driver of the car shook his fist at him and said something that was inaudible over the noise of the street as he turned out of the alley and onto the road.

Elrohir put one hand on the wall to steady himself. "I was so distracted by the noise, I did not even see it," he said in shock.

Katie's eyes were wide. "That was some jump," she said randomly.

"Perhaps we should return to the school," Elladan suggested diplomatically.

"Yeah," Katie said, looking nearly as shaken as Elrohir. "I think you're probably right."

**TBC**

**

* * *

AN:** Well, I was going to make this chapter really long, but I'm onto the fourth page and I'm not even halfway through what I want to cover, so I think I'll leave it there for now. Oh, and the first songKatie plays them is "Du Hast" by Rammstein. If Megan were in the room, the elves would have been treated to the sight of her head-banging, which is the funniest thing you've ever seen in your life. Dana and Liz will testify. 

**Hermione at Heart**: Yes, it _is_ moving slowly, isn't it? If it weren't for the fact that things are established in this fic that I'll need in a later sequel, I don't think I'd write it. And yes, I do hate cleaning my room! But it's nice to feel you've accomplished something.

**Darkened Dreams**: Karaoke is coming up next chapter! But don't expect it to be riotously funny, because I don't think it's going to be… Just interesting. Yeah, I was really depressed after the play ended my freshman year. It was _Children of Eden_. I love that play. —sighs—

**EresseElrondiel**: Well, that would be nice, except that the karaoke people wouldn't have accompaniment to any Tolkein songs!

**Laer4572**: I don't know about _devious_, persay, but very _iiiiinteresting…_Mwa ha ha ha…

**Ravens Destiny**: You're right… it isn't! I actually like the movie of Brigadoon, but I will agree that parts of it irritate me. But then, parts of the play itself irritate me… Like, Fiona sometimes has very little personality… Ditto Tommy… I love Jeff, tho. In the high school production I went to see this spring, Tommy needed more time to change his costume, so Jeff started adlibbing, acting like he was drunk the entire time… It was hilarious.

**theycallmemary**: Wow. That was a lot of pleases and exclamation points! Sorry, Legolas will not be learning to drive. First of all, I don't trust him behind the wheel of a ton of screaming steel, and I don't think Katie would, either. Secondly, I don't think he would _want_ to drive. He's not terribly fond of cars. Plus, if Katie's luck is anything like mine, he would be pulled over in two seconds flat, and then they would _all_ be in trouble. Sorry!

**Thalion**: Well, in this little alternate universe Katie is living in, the Tolkein books actually have never been written. That's how she knows nothing of Middle Earth before she ends up there. But it's funny you mention that… I went down to breakfast one morning, and I found a sticky note in the stairwell that said "Mae govannen mellyn" in really pretty calligraphy. It kinda took me by surprise—so I kept it. :) I would certainly like to update the Susan story, but I need to figure out what the heck I'm doing with it, first…

Thanks also to **Madd Hatter** and **RenegadeKitsune**!

**Please review**! I love all of you guys' funny suggestions… And as you will see, some of them may end up in the fic!


	7. Elfsong

So they all returned to the library. On the steps, they met two girls that made the MElings do a double-take. They both had dark brown skin—darker than any Haradrim. They were giggling about something. Katie smiled and said hello, and they replied in kind. When Katie opened the door and her guests didn't immediately follow, she looked back to see what was keeping them, and found them scrutinizing the two girls. Legolas was nearest, and she grabbed his sleeve. "Come on," she said, a little annoyed.

When they were all inside and the door was shut behind them, she turned to them in some exasperation. "Don't stare; you're embarrassing me," she hissed.

"We apologize," Elladan said, speaking for all of them. "It is just… We have never seen people who look like that before."

Katie frowned. "You're joking."

"No, he is not," Legolas said. "Why is their skin so dark?"

"Why is your hair so blonde? And why are your ears pointy?" Katie countered. "It's genetic. And Ro saw pictures of black people in the book he was reading this morning."

Elrohir nodded. "I did," he agreed. "They were terribly realistic pictures. The painters here must be masters."

Katie's grin, never far away, resurfaced. "They weren't paintings. They were photographs," she explained.

She told them what she could about photos, then led them through the main part of the library again. A group of girls sat at one of the tables, talking in low voices. They all had black hair and almond-shaped eyes, and the language they were speaking was not the Common Tongue.

"What language are they speaking?" Estel asked.

"Korean," Katie answered. "They're international students." She sat down at a computer. "I have some homework to get done," she said, slipping a disk into the drive.

"We will go find something to read," Elladan assured her, and they slipped away.

In the corridor a few minutes later, Elrohir met Estel, hurrying toward him with a concerned expression.

"What is wrong, little brother?" Elrohir asked him in Elvish.

"I have seen the strangest person," Estel answered worriedly. "I wish you will come and see her."

"Of course," Elrohir agreed readily, and followed the young human past some shelves.

He didn't have to ask to whom Estel was referring. A girl stood before a shelf, her head bent over a book. She was dressed entirely in red-accented black: large black boots, a long black skirt, a red and black lacy blouse. A multitude of silver jewelry, most of it displaying silver skulls or spikes, very short back hair made to stick out all over her head, and a black leather strap around her neck, covered in vicious-looking silver spikes completed her attire. She appeared to be wearing a ring on every finger, and her nails were quite long, longer than Katie's, and painted blood-red. Her face was pale, but her lips were black, and she had blackened the area around her eyes, as well. Her ears were pierced in several places, and she sported a small silver stud in her nose.

They slipped away again before she noticed them observing her. "Let's go ask Katie," Elrohir suggested.

When they had described the girl and her raiment to Katie, she nodded. "Yeah. She's a Goth."

"_What!_" Elrohir exclaimed.

"A _Goth_. She's into Gothic stuff. It's a subculture. They kind of like to shock the establishment by dressing like that."

"In Elvish, _goth_ means _foe_," Elrohir explained quietly. "The once-Lord of the Demons was named Gothmog." He didn't think it prudent to mention Morgoth himself.

Katie's reaction surprised him. Her brows rose in interest, but she gave a short laugh. "That would please them," she said facetiously.

"But demons are entirely evil!" Estel exclaimed hotly. "Do these 'Goths' _enjoy_ evil?"

"Just the symbolic idea of it, I think." Katie seemed unconcerned. "You said the girl had short, spiky hair and a nose ring?" Estel nodded. "That's Jill. She's in my Spanish class," Katie explained. "She's a sweet girl. Kinda shy."

The brothers shook their heads in disbelief.

000

When Katie went to collect her guests, she found Elrohir sitting in the courtyard, staring up at the blue sky between the high walls of the library. After a moment of deliberation, she went to sit beside him. Neither of them spoke at first.

"This looks familiar," she finally said.

He looked down at her. "How so?"

"You found me sitting on a stone bench overlooking the gorge, feeling a little homesick and vaguely desperate," Katie reminded him gently. "You feel the same way now, don't you?"

Elrohir took a deep breath. "Yes, I do," he said after a moment. "This world is full of such grief."

Legolas entered the courtyard and stood silently nearby, feeling that something was in the air.

Katie didn't notice him. "You told me to have faith that Ilúvatar knew what he was doing," she said sincerely. "And he did. He still does." Elrohir nodded. "My grandma always says, 'God works in a mysterious way'." She glanced up and saw Legolas. "Come on, let's all go get some dinner."

000

After the meal, Katie had to do some reading for one of her classes. She sat on the floor with her back to the bed, and Estel read over her shoulder. After a minute, she reached over to her desk and picked up a white stick. Pulling the black cover off one end, she began to write in the margin of the book.

"Stop!" Estel grabbed her hand. "What are you doing?"

"Taking notes," she said.

"But you are _writing _in a _book_!"  
"Ohhh," Katie said slowly, realizing why it had bothered him. "This book was really cheap," she explained. "I'm _supposed_ to take notes in it. Books aren't as rare and valuable here as they are in Middle Earth."

"My I see your writing stick?" asked Elrohir, who had been following this exchange. Katie immediately handed it to him, happy to se him taking interest in something. "Does it not require an inkstand?" he asked, examining the pen.

"No, the ink is in a tube inside."

"That is a great invention," he said, handing it back.

"Why are books so inexpensive?" Legolas asked, curious.

"Well, people don't write them out by hand anymore," Katie explained. "They have this thing called a printing press."

She told them what she knew of the Gutenberg press. Elrohir looked thoughtful. "I must tell Erestor of this. Perhaps he could design one."

"Who's Erestor?" Katie asked. "I don't think I met him."

"No, he is on a short visit to Lothlorien," Elladan said. "He is our father's chief counselor, and a great scholar."

_I hope we see him again,_ Elrohir thought.

000

In a little while, there was a knock at the door. It was Liz.

"Hey, it's karaoke night down in the coffeehouse," Liz said. "Do you guys want to come?"

"Meh." Katie and Megan both shrugged.

"There's free pizza," she added.

The girls' eyes lit up. "Pizza! Do you guys want to go get some food, mingle with some people, hear some music…?" Katie asked the group.

Elrohir sort of shrugged, and Elladan glanced over at him. "Yes, that sounds interesting."

When they opened the door to the coffeehouse, they were instantly bombarded with noise. Everyone was talking in loud voices in the dimly lit room. Some sort of equipment was set up on a small stage, and everyone sat on couches and chairs around it, looking through large books and chatting. More girls sat at tables eating something Elrohir didn't recognize.

Legolas looked dubious of the whole situation, but Elladan marched inside purposefully, and Elrohir didn't protest but followed dumbly. The others followed suit. A number of heads turned in their direction as they came in, and the usual whispering began.

Katie paused and leaned over someone sitting on the couch. It was Dana. "Got an extra one of those binders?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," Dana said, and handed her one of the books.

"Thanks." Katie and Liz then led them over to a table covered in boxes. The boxes were full of the mysterious food the others were eating. It looked like a large, flat pie, covered in what appeared to be cheese, mushrooms, and some sort of thin-sliced sausage. The girls each put a slice on a plate, and Katie gestured that they do the same. Legolas, Estel and Elladan each took one, but Elrohir shook his head when his brother offered him a plate.

"No, thank you," he declined politely, "I am not hungry."

They all sat down at a table and began to dig into their food, but a strange sound made them all look up. Two of the girls were standing on the stage, holding black things near their mouths and singing—if you could call it that. This particular song seemed to call for a lot of tuneless (and tasteless) chanting. Legolas grimaced exaggeratedly, and Katie laughed at his reaction.

"Rap music," she explained.

They began to eat the pizza with their hands, following the girls' example. It was surprisingly good. While Katie ate, she flipped through the book Dana had handed her. She ran a finger down the columns of text. Stopping at a line for a moment, she suddenly began to laugh. Unfortunately, she had a mouthful of pizza at the time, and she inhaled a crumb and began to cough.

Elladan patted her on the back. "What has amused you so?" he asked.

Katie glanced quickly over at Legolas, but he was watching two girls singing off-key with a pained expression on his face. She leaned over and whispered something in Elladan's ear. He grinned and nodded. Katie stood up and left the table. In a minute she returned without the book. Elrohir wondered what she had done and why his twin appeared so amused.

Some of the girls who sang had good voices, but many sang rather badly. Katie explained that the machines played the accompaniment of the song, and the singers used the microphones to sing along, reading the words as they lit up on the monitor.

"Let's go back to the room," Legolas suggested after someone hit a particularly sour note.

Katie shook her head, smiling mischievously. "Wait out a couple more," she said cryptically.

In a minute, her purpose was made clear. The announcer said, "Next, we have Lee, singing, 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' by Josh Groban!"

"What!" Legolas exclaimed. Estel and Elladan began to laugh. "This is your fault," he said ominously to Katie, who was trying to control her sudden fit of the giggles.

"Elladan agreed to the scheme," she said innocently. "Go on. It's that song I played for you this morning." She paused. "It could've been worse; I could've signed you up to sing "Du Hast"!"

"_You_ are coming with me," Legolas said, grabbing Elladan's sleeve as he passed and hauling him along. The twin protested good-naturedly, but Legolas dragged him onto the stage, deaf to his objections.

Elrohir, smiling faintly, observed that they were uncomfortable standing on the stage waiting of the music to being, but that no one who didn't know them would probably notice it.

The noise level barely changed as the music began. The song had a long introduction. But the instant the elves opened their mouths, silence fell on the room. The girls listened, enraptured. _Of course_, Elladan reflected, _they have never heard elves sing before!_

By silent consent, Legolas and Elladan took turns, singing alternate lines. But they finished together on the thrilling high notes: "Soaring, dying at thy throne."

As the music faded, the room broke into applause. The two elves bowed with dignity as the girls cheered and cat-called, some of them wiping tears from their eyes. Elrohir and Estel joined in the applause. As Legolas returned to his seat, he leaned over Katie's chair.

"I will be sure to return this favor," he said, smiling a little wickedly. "Infant," he added, returning to their usual teasing routine. Katie laughed.

Liz and Megan began complimenting them on their voices.

"Come, Lee, you are popular with the ladies!" Estel gestured toward the audience, which was still exclaiming about the strangers' voices, and the girls who had come over to join their praise with Katie's friends'. Elrohir noticed that Liz turned pink at this pronouncement. He leaned over to his twin.

"I believe the prince has an admirer," he observed.

Elladan nodded with a smile. "Yes indeed," he agreed conspiratorially.

000

The little duet had gained them almost too much attention, and they all returned to the room shortly after. Liz and Dana followed them up and retired their own room.

"Oh, man!" Katie suddenly exclaimed. "I've got a Spanish test tomorrow!" She put her hand to her head. "At least… I _think_ I do… I'm gonna go ask Dana."

Megan, at her computer, nodded absently, and Katie left the room. "So did you guys enjoy your little vacation in the library today?" Megan asked pleasantly.

"It was very interesting," Legolas answered sincerely. "The building was quite beautiful—and large," he added.

"Yeah, it's one of the oldest buildings on campus. Strangely, it's one of the _only_ buildings on this campus that _isn't_ reputed to be haunted."

"Haunted? By what?" Estel asked.

But Megan never answered, for at that moment, Katie screamed.

**TBC**

**

* * *

AN: Dun dun dunnnnn…**

A page longer than usual! Aren't you proud?. :) I went in to work with my mom today, and I wrote a whole ten pages of notebook paper, all of it on this fic. So that's why you're getting such a quick update!

**Laer4572**: Hee hee! Creamed by a car! I just like the way you said that…

**Ravens Destiny**: Agreed. I hope you get better soon! I know. I think Elrohir is adorable, anyway.

**Chibi Chingo**: You've hit the nail on the head, unfortunately. Things begin to happen a bit in the next chapter, but not a lot has happened, has it? Sorry about that. But some things that are established in Pennsylvania are important in later sequel(s). But yeah, things will happen next chapter! Unfortunately, I have it on very good authority that Josh Groban is indeed gay. I know, I was devastated. :) I would be _thrilled_ to be wrong…

**EresseElrondiel**: Well, they don't tend to have many folk songs in the karaoke books (or at least, not the one they brought to my school), so I stuck with Groban, which they _do _have.

**theycallmemary**: Well, other than Liz's little unrequited crush on Legolas, no, there will be no romance in this piece. I'm not entirely ruling out a romance in later sequel(s), tho! Yes, please _do_ come up with something better than MElings!. :)

**Darkened Dreams**: I have actually (unfortunately) never heard The Highwayman. My friend Rowan recommended it to me years ago, but I haven't heard it yet.

Thank you all! And thanks especially to **Chibi Chingo**, for the constructive criticism! It makes me try harder. :) I really like to know when there's something unsatisfactory in my writing. I vastly prefer it to losing readers!

**Please review**! You guys keep giving me great ideas! BTW, the elves are available for singing at weddings, funerals, birthday parties, anniversaries…


	8. To sleep, no more

The elves mobilized faster than thought and pelted the short distance down the hall to Liz and Dana's room, Estel on their heels. But as they reached the door, they heard that the screaming was interspersed with laughter.

"Helpmesavemehelpmesavemehelpmesaveme!" Katie shrieked, barely able to catch her breath between gales of laughter. "Megaaaaaaaan!" Dana seemed to be trying to tickle her.

Legolas recovered first, and with a laugh, he and Estel hauled Dana off their young friend.

"Thank you!" Katie gasped, rushing over to hide behind the twins. Dana growled between chuckles.

"Yeah, you have to get your army to defend you!" she called to Katie.

"Wench!" Katie called back.

"Harlot!"

"Broad!"

"Hussy!"

"Harpy!"

"Tomato!"

"Jade!"

"Minx!"

"Doxy!"

"Siren!"

"Wanton!"

"Tramp!"

"Bimbo!"

"Floozy!"

"Jezebel!"

"Delilah!"

"Slattern!"

"Libertine!"

"Strumpet!"

"Tart!"

"Tramp!"

"Trollop!"

Katie paused to think. "Vixen," Legolas supplied. Dana, whom they had released, back-handed his arm, hard.

"Are you callin' me names?" she asked belligerently.

"Come on, let's go before she gets even more violent!" Katie cried, leading them out of the room. "_Lost_ in five minutes!" she called back to Dana.

"I'll be there… Witch!" Dana answered.

"Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!" Katie cried back, then turned back to her guests and answered their unspoken question in a normal voice. "_Lost_ is a TV show we watch. I'd better introduce you to TV before Liz and Dana come down to watch…"

000

Elrohir awoke and blinked in the darkness. He could hear his brother's steady breathing beside him. It was a comforting sound. He had heard it many nights, as they camped under the stars.

The room was quieter than it had been in quite awhile. At least it was quiet while they watched the TV. The show held all of them, Pennsylvanians and MElings alike, captivated: the MElings for the wonder of the TV itself, the others for the plot. But the noise level rose during the "commercials", culminating in a small barrage of candies being thrown at each other across the room.

Elrohir shifted and tried to go back to sleep, but his restless thoughts would not allow it. Finally, he stood and slipped silently out of the room.

The lounge was empty, which was not surprising: it was after two in the morning. With his harp hearing, he detected some noise coming from the hall below them, which Megan had assured them was much louder. "Except for our room, and Liz and Dana's," she had added in dry amusement.

Elrohir settled himself on the couch before the TV. There was a remote control on the end table next to him, and he picked it up. On a whim, he pressed the button to turn on the TV as Katie had demonstrated.

The program that was showing appeared to be about man's negative effects on nature. Elrohir watched the entire thing. He was sick at heart two hours later when he stumbled back down the hall to bed.

000

The alarm went off at seven, and Katie groaned. "I hate Thursdays," she muttered.

All six of the residents shifted and began to climb out of bed. Katie pulled some clothes out of her closet.

"Elrohir?" she heard Elladan say. She glanced over at the twins. Elrohir was still laying on the mattress on the floor that he shared with his twin, and Elladan was kneeling over him. "Elrohir, it's time to get up."

Elrohir answered him quietly in Elvish. Legolas and Estel turned and watched in concern. Katie shrugged and went to the bathroom to change clothes. When she returned, Elrohir and Elladan were sitting on one of the beds, Elladan speaking earnestly to his twin. Legolas and Estle still stood watching occasionally saying something to one another in hushed voices. After a moment, Elladan put his hand on Elrohir's forehead, then shook his head and said something in a tone that was half-resigned, half-scolding. His next statement sounded like a directive, and Elrohir nodded, climbing under the sheets. His brother gently tucked him in and murmured to him. As he walked away, Legolas moved out of the room, motioning him and the others to follow. Katie obeyed, completely mystified.

Legolas shut the door behind her. Elladan leaned against the wall and covered his eyes with his hand.

"What's wrong?" Katie asked in apprehension. No one answered. "Is he sick?"

They didn't seem to know how to answer her. "Elves do not become ill as men do," Legolas finally explained. "But although we do not show our emotions as much as men, we feel more deeply. Elves can grow heartsick and world-weary, and it can undermine our health."

Elladan seemed to have pulled himself together. "Elves have been known to fade away and die of broken hearts," he said softly, speaking what the others had not wanted to. His grey eyes were dark and full of ancient sorrows. "I will speak frankly. I fear for him."

"What could've depressed him so badly?" Katie asked, wide-eyed with horror.

Elladan shook his head. "I am afraid to say, I think it is being here that is doing it. This world, being away from Middle Earth, is killing him." He turned to go back in the room. "I would like to… keep an eye on him," he said quietly and left them standing in the hall.

"I don't understand," Katie said, shaking her head. "You and Elladan are both elves, and being here hasn't hurt _you_."

"Elrohir has always had a softer heart than Elladan," Estel said gravely. "And I fear that the incident the other night really shook him."

"What incident?"

"He means when there were so few stars visible in the sky," Legolas clarified.

"Elves have a special affection for the stars… And it is much more true in my foster family than in many," Estel explained. "Do you remember what my brothers told you about the Silmarils?"

"Some of it."

"Well, Elrond's father, Eärendil, tried to sail to Aman to get help from the Valar in the war against Morgoth. The sons of Fëanor discovered that Elwing, Eärendil's wife, held one of the Silmarils that they were bound by oath to recover, so they attacked her. She leapt with it off a cliff, intending to take it with her to the bottom of the ocean, but the Valar took pity on her and changed her into a great seabird. She flew to Eärendil's ship, and the light of the Silmaril lit the way to Aman. The two of them persuaded the Valar to help the people of Middle Earth, and Eärendil and his ship were set in the sky with the Silmaril to guard the world. When it first rose, it was so bright that it dimmed out all other stars in the sky—much as your city lights do. It is now known as the morning and evening star."

"You mean… Elladan and Elrohir's grandfather is the _morning star_?" Katie asked in bewilderment.

"Yes. And my many-greats grandfather, as well. I am descended from Elrond's twin brother, Elros, and as is the custom with the Chieftains of the North, I was fostered in Lord Elrond's house."

Katie attempted to digest this information, and also to reconcile what she knew of the planet Venus with this other idea of the heavenly body. Storing it all in the back of her mind to ponder at a more auspicious time, she attempted to bring the conversation back to the original subject. "So the fact that he could see no stars really disturbed Elrohir," she said, putting it in terms she could come to grips with at the moment.

"Yes." Estel ran a hand through his hair. "There are other reasons, as well."

Legolas took up the telling. "Elves are very close to nature. For some, we must be near to it, or we eventually sicken. I believe the…" he gestured, trying to find the word, "atmosphere of this place has compounded the problem."

Katie puffed out her cheeks and put a hand to her forehead. "And there's nothing we can do for him, is there?"

Estel and Legolas shook their heads. "I do not know," Legolas said sadly.

000

Katie tried to be as quiet as possible while she was in the room that morning, so as not to disturb the others. When Megan returned from her shower, she filled her in on the news, and Megan sort of tiptoed around as well until she had to leave for her equine anatomy class.

Elladan sat deep in thought on the floor by Elrohir's bed, and Legolas and Estel sat cross-legged on the other bed, speaking quietly in Elvish. Katie felt awkward and helpless. And she even—yes, she had to admit it to herself, she felt guilty. Here she had been trying to, in her thoughts, show her friends the wonders of technology and how much fun her world was, and she had only compounded Elrohir's problems. Just like playing "Du Hast" for the elves. It was obviously not to their taste, and she had known that. She just wanted to shock them; she didn't know why. And now this.

Maybe she had wanted to shock them to show them how great her world was—to show off, somehow. She sometimes felt so inadequate around them. Elves were just so… so… perfect. And even Estel was almost more like an elf than a human most of the time. And what she had seen of Middle Earth (which basically consisted of Rivendell and the immediate area) was fabulously beautiful, with a different kind of beauty than Katie had ever experienced. Her own world seemed somehow inadequate in the beauty department in comparison.

So to compensate for lack of beauty, she had tried to introduce thrill. It obviously had not had the intended effect. Much the opposite.

But all of her world was not like what she had shown Elrohir. There were beautiful things here, too.

Her train of thought was stopped when she looked at the clock. She stood and gathered up her backpack. "I've got to go to class," she said quietly to the rest of the room. They glanced up and nodded. Elrohir, who had been laying with his eyes closed, opened them and made the effort to give her a small smile. Impulsively, she darted over to him and gave him a hug.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Please get well soon."

His arms tightened around her for a moment, and then she slipped away and was gone.

**TBC**

**

* * *

AN: —sniff—**

**EresseElrondiel**: Oh, yes, Tennyson rocks. I'm a Dickinson nut, myself. Nothin geeky about loving poetry… Why do you think so many of my fics have titles from Shakespeare?. :) Thanks!

**Chibi Chingo**: Thanks! I figure if somebody criticizes me, it's because they think what I'm doing is worth correcting. And now you know why she screamed!. :)

**Ravens Destiny**: I know, I just adore "Depressed Elrohir"… As is obvious from this chapter…

**Arlindor**: I assume you meant to say 7000 and 6000 rather than 70 and 60. Well, some people believe that the earth is only 6000 years old because the Bible only tells 6000 years of history, but science and many of their fellow Christians disagree. Yes, it was a fast update, wasn't it? And here's another one!. :)

**Hermione at Heart**: Ah… The cliffie is the pride and joy of the writer… heh heh

**Laer4572**: lol! Well, if Haldir shows up, you may have him. You might have to fight some of the other reviewers for him, though…

**theycallmemary**: Yep, an Elvish word is fine. I'll give a translation the first time I use it, just like with MElings. Thanks!

Thank you all!

**Please review! **


	9. Sicklied o'er

The four MElings decided not to go to the library that day. Elrohir was staying in bed, and the others didn't like to leave him. Instead, they retold the familiar tales and sung all the old songs. When Katie and Megan got back to the room, they sat quietly at their desks, doing schoolwork and listening with one ear to the things that were being sung. They only understood some of it, as the MElings were mostly speaking and singing in Elvish, but when elves sing, the feelings come through so purely that they still got a sense of what was being said.

The entire time, Elrohir lay half-asleep, his eyes closed. There were dark circles under his eyes and lines of grief on his face, like on one who has undergone a great shock or tragedy. After awhile, he rolled over with his face to the wall. Elladan stood up and leaned over him.

"_Muindor-nín_?"

"Just let me sleep, Brother," was all the answer he received.

When it came time for lunch, Estel and Legolas went down with the girls, but Elladan and Elrohir remained in the room. Katie promised to bring them something to eat.

"I wish I could stay in the room with them all day," Katie said regretfully as they descended the stairs to the dining hall. "But my Thursday schedule is really full. Megs and I even have an evening class tonight from six fifteen to nine! But I suppose peace and quiet are probably best for him, and my not being there won't have any effect, really." The guys nodded in agreement.

"Is one of those guys sick?" Liz asked.

"Yeah, Ron." Katie thought fast. "He's, uh… got mono."

"Oh, man," Dana said. "Did he just come down with it this morning?"

"Mm-hm."

"We'll try to be quiet and let him rest," Liz said kindly. "If it gets too loud from our room, just come down and tell us to shut up."

"Thank you," Estel said, taking her words in the spirit in which they were spoken.

000

Elladan heard Elrohir shift and roll over, so he stood from his seat on the floor and checked on his brother. When he saw Elrohir watching him, he seated himself on the edge of the bed.

"Why do you despair?" Elladan asked softly. "We will return to Middle Earth soon enough, as soon as we have accomplished all that we were sent to do here."

Elrohir shook his head. "It is not the fear of that, so much, that holds my mind captive. It is the very condition of this world."

"This world is not ours, and the people who live here seem content to see it in this condition," Elladan argued gently.

"But do you not see?" Elrohir asked, in a voice that sounded like the breaking of a noble heart. "This is a world without elves. This is what the world becomes, when it is ruled by men. Our people are fading from Middle Earth, Elladan. You know that as well as I. In a short time, things will come to a head, and then the elves will sail. And the lands will be left to men, to rule as they will. This is what Middle Earth will become! Not bad, but bereft of so much good! Will we stray long enough in Middle Earth to see the beauty our people have brought to it fade into the twilight of the elves? And will Estel's children and grandchildren, his long line of descendants, be forced to suffer a pitiless world with no light of Aman to guide it?"

"Oh, my brother," Elladan said sadly, leaning down to embrace his twin, "you have our mother's tender heart."

"But I cannot set sail as she did," Elrohir whispered, "for there is no sea here which reaches to Aman." He paused. "And I do not want to leave you," he added hopelessly.

"Nor I you, brother," Elladan answered, refusing to let him go, holding him even closer as if he feared to be parted from him. "There is surely more beauty in this world than any of us have yet discovered. A different kind of beauty from that of the elves, but a beauty nonetheless. Hold on. We shall see it shine out as brightly as Eärendil over Imladris e'er we leave this land."

000

Every idle moment in class and work that day, Katie was preoccupied with Elrohir's illness and how she could possibly help him. If a lack of the natural world was part of his problem, would being around natural beauty help? Or would it only remind him of his homesickness, and ultimately make it worse? She would have offered to play some music more to the elven taste, but Elrohir's friends were singing songs from home, which would be better than any Enya CD. Also, the things that Elrohir had read that had impressed themselves on his mind were all the bad things about society and technology. But there were wonderful things, as well. Maybe she could find him a book on medical advancements or the civil rights movement or something.

Finally, in the middle of her night class (Women in Antiquity), she hit upon a thought. Maybe she could test to see if being around nature helped Elrohir or hurt him. If a small dose of it helped, she was sure they could figure out a way to get him out into the country. But she would need Megan's help.

By the time they left night class, it was well after dark. But the night wasn't terribly chilly, so this would be the best time to try it. Also, there wouldn't be many people out and about who would be curious or concerned about Elrohir's condition. As soon as she got into the room, she dropped her bag and went straight over to Elladan. "How is he?" she asked, indicating Elrohir, who was once again asleep with his back to the room.

Elladan shook his head. "Not well, I think. Is there any way we can get him out of the city? I think it would help."

"Yes, but not until tomorrow. But I've thought of something we can do to help him now, tonight."

000

Elrohir blinked his eyes blearily. Someone was shaking him awake.

"Come on, Ro," Elladan said gently. "Get up."

"What's going on?" Elrohir asked. He winced at hearing the rasp in his own voice.

"We're going for a little walk," Elladan said, helping his brother up. "Some fresh air will do you good."

They took him down the elevator and outside the building and began the trek through the parking lots. Elladan walked with his arm around his twin's waist, supporting him. Elrohir felt terrible. Everything around him faded out—he heard the murmur of the others talking around him, but couldn't bring himself to concentrate on what they were saying. His mind was blearily focused on the sight of his feet traversing the asphalt. He was so terribly weary. Once he tripped, and felt Estel catch his arm and support him on the other side. The asphalt gave way to concrete, and Elrohir was aware of a familiar scent.

"Elrohir," Elladan said quietly, breaking his trance. "Look."

Elrohir raised his head. They were in a long, high-ceilinged building with stalls on either side—a stable.

A slow smile spread across the weary elf's face. Megan opened a stall and Estel helped his brother in. In a few minutes, Elrohir stood on his own, talking and laughing quietly to the horse. A little color had returned to his face.

Elladan turned to Katie. His eyes shone as he smiled at her. "Thank you," he said quietly.

000

Unfortunately, the cure was only temporary. By the time they returned to the room, Elrohir was looking ill again. Elladan made sure he got back to bed alright, then rejoined the others in a quiet corner of the lounge. They hadn't wanted to disturb Elrohir's sleep, and the hall was too public. Everyone had pulled up chairs around a table away from the other students at the TV.

"I've got a test in my eight o'clock class tomorrow morning," Megan was saying, "but I'm free after that."

Katie nodded, and smiled up at Elladan as he pulled up a chair for himself. "Megan has offered to put us all up at her place for the weekend," she told him. "Her family lives out in the country—it's a really beautiful place. It may help."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you, Megan," Elladan said gratefully.

Megan waved off his thanks. "No problem. I do have to call my parents and ask, but I'm sure they won't mind. My dad and Ben and Esther are going to be out of town, so it'll just be my mom and Josiah and Mercy. We've got a second house next to our own where my dad's office is. You guys can sleep there, in the upstairs bedrooms. Kate and I can sleep in my room. That way my parents won't get upset, and you guys won't have to put up with my siblings all day!"

"It sounds perfect," Katie said, satisfied.

000

Megan called and got permission from her mom to bring some friends home for the weekend. They all went to bed early that night. Legolas and Estel moved to the mattress on the floor so that the twins could sleep in the other bed. Elladan crawled into bed next to his brother and put his arm around the sleeping twin. Katie turned away and got into bed herself. She was still very worried about Elrohir, but at least now she didn't feel quite as guilty about it. She had helped to organize a cure for him. She only hoped it would work.

**TBC**

**

* * *

AN:** It's great when I get to do extended dialogue between elves. I just love how they talk. :) 

Oh, by the way, I've added a page to my website with photos of locations and people described in this fic, as a sort of visual companion. :) The link is on my profile; let me know what you think!

**werewolflemming**: I'm not sure I'd say something when wrong in the world between the lotr time and ours—it had already happened. Thanks!

**Arlindor**: Yes, the college has plenty of pianos, but unfortunately, neither Katie nor her friends plays one, and obviously the elves don't. :)

**Ravens Destiny**: Well, I'm glad to see I'm building up a committed fanbase:)

**Chibi Chingo**: Your wish is my command! Actually, I would like to point out that all four of our MElings are very definitely alive by the time of the War of the Ring, so I can't actually kill any of them anyway! But there are fates worse than death… Hee hee…

**EresseElrondiel**: I was never all that wild about any of Shakespeare's work until I saw some really good live performances of his plays. But yeah, I'm majoring in Eng secondary edu, so is anyone surprised:)

**Hermione at Heart**: Oh, man, I am SO EXCITED about the two hour season finale of Lost tomorrow night! And it is a tradition among my friends at college to get together and watch it on Meg's TV every week. We've got this whole "I am the queen" thing going on with it too… Good times.

**Madd Hatter**: Don't you just hate when your computer goes nuts?

**Darkened Dreams**: Yes, he would!

**Erasuithiel**: Awww! I'm honored! Actually, Tolkein never really said _what_ happened to the twins in the end… I started reading the Silmarillion once, but I never finished it. Too hard to keep everybody straight. I need to try it again now that I've picked up some more on the history from other sources. My next lotr reading project is the _Debate of Finrod and Andreth_ in _Morgoth's Ring: the Later Silmarillion_ (as soon as the book comes in from the library). Glad you enjoyed the fic!

Thanks also to **Laer4572** and **fk306**!

Each and every **review** makes the sun shine brighter in the sky for a poor, humble fanfiction writer… lol


	10. Change of Scene

Katie spent her free time the next morning in packing and planning. She grabbed enough clothes for a few days and stuffed them into her suitcase and carried it down to the car. Legolas and Estel also helped, bringing down all their clothes and the twins'. Legolas made to carry their weapons down as well, but Katie stopped him and made him wrap them up in a sheet first so that no one would see them. Then she and Megan went to their morning classes.

They managed to leave around lunchtime. Legolas and Estel rode with Megan, and the twins with Katie. Elladan sat up front, and Elrohir lay down across the back seat. They rode in silence as they left the more populous area and got onto the highway. After awhile, the shopping centers and gas stations began to fade away into the rear view mirror, and they were driving across a more beautiful part of Pennsylvania. Elladan watched this progression out the window with interest and with hope lighting his heart. Soon there were woods flitting past on both sides of the car.

Megan's little red car led them between high, green mountains, and then they began to ascend. The vehicles climbed up the winding road on the side of a low, rolling mountain. The road twisted and turned in a multi-plane complexity, until Elladan could see the road they had just traveled curving below them, with green trees in between. They seemed to be rising up into the blue sky.

"Elrohir," he said quietly, turning in his seat to address his brother. "You should see this."

Elrohir opened his eyes and sat up obediently. As he looked out the window, the lines of strain disappeared from his face and a slow smile lit his expression from within, like the sun coming up on a misty morning. "It is beautiful," he said softly. Elladan and Katie shared a relieved grin.

They came around the peak of the mountain, and there was a green valley spread out below them. The drop over the trees was dizzying, and the newly-sown fields looked like patches on a quilt. Little farmhouses and barns, and a white building with a steeple stood along the seams of these patches, and gray roads crisscrossed the blanket like threads.

The drive took more than an hour, and Elladan was sure his brother had dozed off more than once. But he was sitting up now, and his sleep was the open-eyed rest of greater health, not the alarming blank sleep it had been before. A little color had come back into his face, chasing the shades of grey away.

"We're nearly there," Katie finally announced. "This is Megan's valley."

They were driving straight down the valley, with mountains lining it on either side of them. The land was flat here, but it rose to their left up to a mountain, and to their right it fell, so that they were privileged with the sight of green fields and trees and farms all the way to the foot of the mountain. They drove through a small town—more a little rural community, really—and then back out into the countryside.

Ahead of them, Megan turned left into a long gravel driveway, and Katie followed. Legolas, in the back seat of Megan's car, turned and grinned, waving gleefully to them through the back window. Elladan and Katie grinned, and Elladan waved back.

They parked the cars between a house and a barn. There was a little building up on a platform nearby, which Elladan assumed must be some kind of playhouse.

As they opened the doors and climbed out of the cars, a couple of very friendly-looking dogs came to greet them.

"Down, Max," Megan said, shoving the larger of the two off of her knees. "Come on in," she added over her shoulder to the other five.

Elladan looked around in curiosity as they entered the farmhouse. _This is the first real house we've entered since we came here_, he realized.

"Mom!" Megan called.

"Hi, Sweetie," her mom said, appearing in the doorway and giving her daughter a hug. "Hi, Katie."

"Hello, Mrs. Westenra," Katie answered politely.

"Mom, these are our friends—Dan, Ron, Lee and Eric."

"How do you do?" Mrs. Westenra asked, acknowledging all four of them as they nodded cordially to her. "Come on in," she said, gesturing them into the house proper.

Katie led the four strangers through the kitchen and past the dining room table into a sitting room. Two children sat on the floor, playing with something. They both looked up and said hello. The first was a boy, about eleven years old, with bright red hair, freckles, and brilliant blue eyes—much like his older sister. The second was a little girl who looked to be about four, with short blond hair. She jumped up and gave Megan a huge.

"Hi, 'Siah. Hey, Merse!" Megan exclaimed, picking her up. "This is Dan, Ron, Lee and Eric," she continued, repeating the introductions. "This is my brother Josiah and my sister Mercy. Esther and Ben are away for the weekend with Dad."

They all said hello. "Hi, Katie," Mercy said as Megan put her down. "Do you want to come see Esther's pony?" Elladan noticed that she had a bit of a lisp; she had lost her two front teeth.

Megan's mother had just come into the room. "Actually, Mercy, I think we're going to have some lunch first. Are you guys hungry? Do you want something to eat?"

"Sure," Megan and Katie replied.

"Your name's Ron?" she asked Elrohir, who had taken a seat on the couch.

"Yes, ma'am," he said politely.

"Do you feel alright? You look a little pale."

"I will be fine, thank you," he said with a small smile.

"Well, alright then. Megan and Josiah—how about you set the table?"

The others took chairs around the room, and Elladan sat down on the couch with his twin. Mercy bounced over to Elrohir. "Were you sick?" she asked in her tiny, four-year-old voice.

"Yes, I was," Elrohir answered her.

"Are you twins?" she asked.

"Yes." Elladan answered this time.

"Two of my friends are twins. Sara and Sierra. But they don't look alike. Sara has blonde hair and Sierra's is brown." She moved right on to Legolas, and cocked her head to the side. "You have pretty hair," she said.

The rest of them grinned silently, but Legolas answered her solemnly. "Thank you," he said.

"Why's your hair so long?"

"Mercy." Her mother appeared in the doorway. "Sorry," she said, smiling the rest of the company.

"Not at all." The three elves smiled back. They were all rather fond of children, and Mercy was adorable.

"Time for lunch," Mrs. Westenra announced, and they all went in to eat.

000

Lunch was delicious—especially when compared with dining hall fare. They were all, Megan and Katie included, relieved to eat some (what Katie called) _real_ food. Elrohir ate more heartily than he had done in days. After lunch, Megan and Katie went to carry the MElings' things into the other house where they'd be staying. Elladan and Estel decided to help, so Legolas and Elrohir went outside to get a breath of fresh air.

Mercy followed them. She had put on a pair of bright pink books and a pink jacket. "Do you want to see the horses?" she asked, and without waiting for an answer, grabbed Elrohir's hand and led him past the barn to one of the pastures. Once there, to the elves' surprise, the tiny little girl climbed right over the gate and into the pasture. They followed.

She led them up the hill, chattering comfortably the entire time. At the top of the hill, a couple of ponies, a horse and a mini all clustered around her. The horse, which looked gigantic next to her, bent its neck and stuck its nose in her face. "Sweetpea!" she said in annoyance, "get off!" and pushed its face out of her own.

She patted the ponies and the mini, warning the elves that one of them bit. She herself seemed unconcerned. When the animals gathered about the elves and began to nose them, she laughed. "They like you!" she said gleefully, then turned and led them on a grand tour of the pasture.

She pointed out the fence, their neighbor's farm ("He's really funny," she said with a giggle), and showed them how to jump over the little run of water near the bottom of the hill. She talked non-stop the entire time; the elves didn't have to answer her. She was very precocious, and altogether delightful. Legolas and Elrohir rather enjoyed having her lead them all around the pasture at a quick trot.

By the time they were back, the others were finished setting up a guest room—two guest rooms, really. Elrohir went to lay down and rest for a bit, and the others went back into the house. Josiah and Mercy had been watching _The Lion King_ soon before they had arrived that morning, so they all sat down and watched with them. Mercy sat happily between Legolas and Elladan on the couch, half-draped on each of them at different times, and Katie, Megan and Josiah took the other couch, while Estel sat in a rocking chair. The MElings enjoyed the movie very much, although they didn't understand all the jokes that had Katie, Megan and Josiah chuckling and Mercy laughing out loud.

Mercy was a bundle of energy. As soon as the movie was over, she popped up off the couch. "Megan, can we go riding?" she asked.

Megan, who had been nodding off during the last part of the movie, opened her eyes and stretched. "Sure, Merse," she answered sleepily.

The four-year-old led them all back out to the barn. "Do you guys want to ride, too?" The MElings agreed. "What about you?" she asked.

They turned around. Elrohir had approached while they were talking. "Sure," he said with a smile.

"Mmm… I'm not sure if we have five saddles…" Megan murmured.

"Oh, do not bother to get me a saddle," Legolas said, taking a bridle down off the wall. "I'll ride bareback."

The twins decided to ride bareback as well, so Megan only had to get saddles for herself and Estel. Legolas had asked to take Katie up with him, since Katie didn't ride. Mercy rode in front of Megan.

The MElings were used to Elven-trained horses that obeyed voice commands, but they did quite well with the Westenras' horses, anyway. They took a quick trot out across some fields, with Elladan and Estel racing and Legolas threatening to join in, despite Katie's voluble protests. Mercy chattered to Elrohir, who answered her with his accustomed bright smile. After observing the two of them for a bit, Legolas turned to smile at Katie.

"It looks like your plan has been successful," he said. "He is almost himself again."

Katie frowned as she observed the younger twin, who had fallen into a momentary abstraction. "Almost," she said quietly.

**TBC**

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* * *

AN: Wow, that chapter was hard to write! I know, I know: I say that every time, right?. :)**

Mercy turned five on the 31st! Everybody wish her a happy birthday!

If anybody's interested, I wrote a lotr quiz and put it on my website. If you take it, you'll have to let me know which race you fit into! Link is on the Elladan portrait page.

**Laer4572**: Yes indeedy! Elves in apple trees! That'd make a very cute picture.

**Ravens Destiny**: I was dismayed to learn a few months ago that while my friend had been visiting me, she had had mono. I was like, uh-oh! And she said, "I didn't lick you, so it's all good…"

**RenegadeKitsune**: That sounded… vaguely threatening… lol

**Chibi Chingo**: Yet… heh

**EresseElrondiel**: I totally agree about the science thing. Yick. Zoology is kinda interesting, and all the quantum physics you run across in sci-fi novels, but other than that… Blechy.

**Darkened Dreams**: (See reply to Ravens Destiny) You know, I've never actually been camping. Other than at Creation, and that doesn't count.

**Coollilyflower**: Well, no romance in the air just yet… But you never know, I might bring some in later…

**Erasuithiel**: Hope you got my email. The theme of despair versus hope will be very big later… I've been reading up on Middle Earth philosophy ("Athrabeth Findrod ah Andreth") and it's been giving me ideas… Also found out some things about elves and elven culture that I had totally wrong in my fic! Whoopsy!

Thanks also to **fk306**, **Madd Hatter** and **Doredhiel**! —does the "I Love Reviews" dance—

**Please review**! I love reviews more than cookies! I love reviews more than popsicles! I love reviews more than chocolate! I love reviews more than money! Oh, wait…


	11. Over the River and Through the Woods

The evening was so warm and pleasant, that Katie, Megan, Josiah, Mercy and the MElings went and sat on the porch after dinner, chatting. Despite seeming much more cheerful and relaxed, Elrohir was still very quiet and kept falling off into thought. Elladan avoided the subject until Josiah and Mercy had gone back in.

"Do you feel ill again?" Elladan he asked his brother quietly.

Elrohir gave him a reassuring half-smile. "No, not ill. Seeing some of the beauty in this world has done me good," Elrohir assured him. He paused and looked out over the valley. "But I cannot say I am well again, either. Though the sting of these thoughts has lessened greatly, the thoughts—the doubts and fears—are still there. I wish I could speak to Father of this."

Elladan nodded. Their father was very wise, having experienced six and a half millennia of life on Arda in the company of elves and of men. He would indeed know how best to allay his son's fears. Unfortunately, they were not now in a position to seek his advice.

Elrohir parted company with the rest of them shortly and went to the guest room alone while the others stayed at the main house. "I just want to be alone—to think," he reassured them, and left silently. Elladan watched his retreat frowningly.

"I do wish indeed that Father were here," he said quietly. "He would know what to say to him."

Estel stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps there is someone here in this world who could talk to him," he said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Elladan asked.

"Well, it seems to me that the best person to talk to him about the hope of humankind would be a human," Estel said earnestly. "Some wise, older person here who knows this world and all its shortcomings and still has hope."

"Do you know of such a person?" Elladan asked Katie.

Katie frowned and bit her lip. "I'm not sure," she said slowly.

Legolas, who had sat silently for some time, suddenly clapped his hands together. "What about your grandmother?"

"What about her?" Katie asked, confused.

"When you were talking to Elrohir earlier about having faith in the purposes of Eru, you mentioned a saying of your grandmother's: 'God works in a mysterious way.' She sounds wise; perhaps she could help?"

"Of course!" Katie put her hand to her head in amazement. "Why didn't I think of that? She'd be perfect! And, she's the only person I told about my 'dream' of you guys—other than you, of course," she added to Megan. "She'd be great!" She stopped and frowned. "But she lives in Harrisburg."

"How far is that?" Elladan asked, jumping up and beginning to pace.

"Oh, a couple of hours," Megan answered vaguely.

"Is there any reason we could not go to see her?"

"I don't think so," Katie said. "But you won't all fit in my car. Or at least, you might, but it would be pretty uncomfortable."

"I'll help drive," Megan said nonchalantly.

"Are you sure?" Katie asked.

"Yeah. I'll just go straight back up to school from there," Megan assured her. "They're showing a movie tomorrow afternoon that I want to see anyway," she added. "And you can give me a call if you need me to drive everybody back to Watson."

"Thanks." Katie smiled gratefully at her roommate. "Alright, tomorrow morning, then? It seems a pity to haul Elrohir back out of the great outdoors again so soon, but…"

"But the sooner we get to the root of the problem, the better," Legolas finished sagely.

000

Accordingly, when the MElings went to the other house for bed that evening, Elladan informed his brother of the plan. Elrohir only nodded. Elladan asked him his opinion of the plan.

"I trust your judgment, _muindor-nín_," he answered simply.

Accordingly, soon after breakfast the next morning, they all packed up their stuff and loaded it into the cars again. Megan took the lead on the way out of the valley, and onto a busy 4-lane highway, which Katie referred to as "81".

Elladan watched the other vehicles whiz past for awhile, then turned and watched out his own window. Even here, with this strip of busy, dirty technology running through it, the land was still rather beautiful. There were intermittent patches of forests and fields along the highway, and it was quite enjoyable to watch them flit past so quickly. A glance over his shoulder informed him that Elrohir was doing the same.

After about an hour and a half of driving, Katie moved into the other lane and passed Megan. Now that they were nearing Harrisburg, she explained to the twins, she was going to take point and lead them to her grandmother's house.

They passed over a bridge, and down below, Elladan could see a sweet little river. "What river is that?" he asked Katie.

"Oh, that's not a river, it's a creek. The Conodoguinit—not to be confused with the Conococheague, that runs through Watson's campus."

"What is a _creek_?" Elladan asked, confused.

"It's like a stream," Katie explained vaguely. "It's not nearly wide enough for a river."

"I have seen rivers that narrow," Elladan insisted.

Katie laughed. "That ain't no river," she said, shaking her head. "Trust me. We're coming up to a river."

They drove through a community filled with stores that Katie identified as Camp Hill. Then they were on a bridge and crossing a wide, beautiful river. The twins both caught their breath. It seemed to be a mile wide, far wider than the Bruinen at its widest point.

"This is the Susquehanna," Katie told them in her best tour-guide voice. "It's not very deep—about seventeen feet at flood stage, and about five most of the rest of the year—but it's plenty wide! The famous writer Robert Louis Stevenson fell in love with the name when he traveled through Pennsylvania."

The bridge was held high above the river, and other such bridges were visible out Katie's side. The twins looked out over the water with smiles on their faces. In the middle of the river was a small island, with people and little buildings on it, and on the far side was Harrisburg.

There were houses high up on the banks over the river, and Elladan could see tall buildings in the city, far taller than the ones around Watson College. Visible behind some of these was an elegant dome, with some kind of statue on a spire on top.

"What is that green dome?" he asked as they got off the bridge and into the city.

"The capital building," she answered. "Harrisburg is the state capital."

Katie drove them through the city, the twins craning their necks to see the high buildings they passed.

"This is very strange," Elladan finally commented.

"What is?" Katie asked, turning a corner.

"All these great, high buildings… and not a single soul on the street!"

Katie laughed. "Yep. That's Harrisburg!" She paused as she negotiated another intersection. "It's too bad I can't take you to see the Forum, I think you'd like that. It's this gorgeous building, and the main room has maps all along the walls, and a gigantic sky chart painted on the ceiling! There's a light bulb for each star, and then the pictures of the constellations are painted around them. I always adore going there for things."

"Do they hold formal programs in the Forum?" Elrohir wanted to know, speaking up for the first time in quite awhile.

"Yeah. Big concerts, awards ceremonies, graduations… In fact, I think Megan graduated there. She was home schooled," she clarified.

They were soon out of the city again, and driving along roads with much smaller buildings on them. Finally, Katie pulled into a small parking area in front of a row of houses and parked the car. Megan pulled in beside them, and they all piled out of the vehicles and stretched.

Leaving their things in the car, Katie walked up to the front door of one of the houses with the others trailing behind and rang the bell. "Please be home, please be home, please be home," she muttered.

In a moment, there was the sound of footsteps, and then the door opened and a woman looked out. "Katie!" she exclaimed, and hugged her granddaughter.

"And who are your friends?" she asked, surveying them.

"Well, this is Megan, my roommate," Katie began, then stopped. "And the rest—it's kind of a long story."

"Well, don't just stand there!" her grandmother said cheerfully. "Come on in!"

Megan politely declined, saying she wanted to get back up to school, and left again. The rest all followed Katie's grandmother in the door. On one side of the entranceway, there hung a large hat on a hook—brilliant red, with a bright purple band. Next to it was mounted a poem, entitled, "When I Am Old I Shall Wear Purple".

Elladan didn't have long to think about it, as Katie's grandmother was leading them past it and down a hallway. Katie tripped over the edge of the rug in the hall, and barely managed to catch her balance. "Shit," she muttered.

"Bathroom's on the left, Dear," her grandmother called back calmly.

Katie grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Gram."

They all found themselves in a comfortable sitting room, furnished with chairs, a couch, a coffee table and a TV. Katie's grandmother gestured for them all to sit down. Estel, Legolas and Elrohir took the couch, and Elladan perched lightly on the arm next to his twin. Katie took one of the armchairs and her grandmother the other.

Elladan observed this woman quite closely. She looked to be in her early- to mid-sixties, her hair still dark, though streaked with gray, particularly at the temples. She seemed an energetic woman, and her dark eyes sparkled with continual laughter.

But there was something else to her, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He caught some sense that there was something different about this woman, that she was different from anyone else he had met in Pennsylvania—different, in fact, from anyone he had ever met in Middle Earth, as well! She did not feel, somehow, like a regular human, nor like an elf, nor even like a wizard. For a moment, he could almost believe that she was really something else altogether.

"Now, tell me this long story," she was saying to Katie.

Katie bit her lip. "Do you remember when I told you about that dream I had, where I ended up in another world and stayed with a community of elves?" she asked, by way of an opening.

"Yes, of course," her grandmother replied.

"Well, uh… These are them," Katie said, gesturing to the MElings, who watched the older woman carefully to see her reaction.

It was very slight. Katie's grandmother raised her eyebrows for a moment, and looked them over carefully. When she spoke, her voice was perfectly calm.

"Well," she said cheerfully, "that explains the pointy ears."

**TBC**

**

* * *

AN: I've been to Harrisburg few enough times that I actually had to check my facts on the number of bridges and so forth with a map. Pathetic, huh?. :)**

The Susquehanna River is indeed almost a mile wide at Harrisburg. The Conodoguinit runs very near my house, and I just had to put it in. :) An interesting note: in Pennsylvania, we differentiate not only between rivers and creeks, but between creeks, streams and runs. Streams and runs are pretty much the same thing, but creeks are rather wider. The creek they passed over is about wide enough to be considered a river in some other places in the world—but of course here in America, with our great big rivers, it's only a creek. :) The Conococheague gets called "the Con" on my college campus, and Liz is always calling it the river and we're always correcting her. It's a creek, Liz! A creek! (Another interesting note: Pennsylvanians also differentiate between a "rock" and a "stone". Rocks are bigger.) I'll put a photo of Harrisburg over the Susquehanna on my website.

Oh, and Katie's grandmother is not based off of mine. She's what I hope to be like when I'm older. :)

**fk306**: I came out with human on top, then father down elves, then hobbits, and then way down at the bottom, dwarves and ents.

**Doredhil**: I've never been bitten by a horse (thank goodness), but one of Megan's did accidentally step on my foot. Luckily, it only got the edge, so it didn't really hurt. Thanks for the treats!... No money?. :( lol

**Ravens Destiny**: lol Oh dear. Did your brother accomplish his goals?

**Madd Hatter**: Well, ents are at least very interesting creatures! And since Treebeard's speech pattern was supposedly copied off of CS Lewis (my favorite author!), I'd take it as a compliment!. :)

**werewolflemming**: Being a Pennsylvanian, we have tons of excellent Hershey's chocolate. I'm just not all that huge a chocolate fan! (I know, I can hear the shock in your voices…)

Thanks also to **EresseElrondiel**, and I sent everybody's happy birthday wishes to Megan to show to Mercy!

—swings a pendant in front of her readers' faces— You are getting sleepy… Very, very sleepy… When I snap my fingers, you will remember none of this, you will only click the little purple button and leave me a **review**… —snaps her fingers—


	12. Estel

Without changing her tone, she continued, "Oh, where are my manners? Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, please," Katie said, speaking for them all. "What would you guys like?"

"Just water, please, Madam," Estel said, and the others nodded.

Katie's grandmother laughed. "Oh, please call me Vivian," she said.

"Pepsi for me," Katie added, and her grandmother disappeared in the direction of the kitchen.

The MElings stared at Katie in shock. "That was not quite the reaction I was expecting," Legolas stated in some confusion.

Katie shook her head and raised her hands, disavowing any knowledge of the inner workings of her ancestor's mind. "Nothing my grandmother does surprises me anymore," she said quietly, so as not to be overheard, but with a chuckle. "She bought a CB radio a few years ago, and uses it to talk to truckers when she's bored. She recites them limericks at two o'clock in the morning; they love her."

The MElings didn't ask what all of that meant, but they didn't ask, assuming it would take a lot of explanation. But the idea of reciting anything to anyone at two o'clock in the morning sounded vaguely amusing and strange to Elladan.

"You ought to see her on days she has a Red Hat Society meeting," Katie continued. "Her outfit's incredible. Last month she and her chapter went out on Friday night in their full regalia with grass skirts over top and did the hula right in the middle of the mall for no reason whatsoever. Apparently, they attracted quite a crowd."

"What is the Red Hat Society?" Legolas asked, confused.

"Basically, an organization of women who refuse to grow old with dignity," Katie answered with a grin. "Her hat's on the wall back there where we came in."

Just then, her grandmother reentered the room with a tray and passed them all their drinks. She put a bowl of nuts and a plate of cookies on the coffee table and told them to help themselves.

"Now," she said, when they were all settled and she was sitting in her armchair with a fizzy yellow drink in one hand and a big chocolate chip cookie in the other, "spill. What's brought you all to my doorstep?"

They all looked at each other. Katie cleared her throat. "Well, we've got a bit of a problem."

"No place to keep them all?" Vivian asked with a grin.

Katie smiled back. "No, that's the least of our troubles. You see…" she paused. "This is really weird for them. It's nothing like their world. And I mean, nothing. Like, there aren't even elves here."

Vivian nodded in understanding.

Katie took a breath to continue, but seemed at a loss as to how to proceed. To the surprise of them all, Elrohir broke in.

"The world is beginning to… disintegrate," he said explained. "I can see it all around us. And I know that the end is a long way off, but I see the signs of it, I can see it coming. Does no one here know that the world is dying?"

Vivian nodded. "Oh yes, some of us realize it," she said. "'The earth wears out like a garment'."

The MElings all looked surprised. "You know?" Elladan asked. In his millennia of experience, only the elves had been shown these things.

"How do you go on with that knowledge?" Elrohir continued. "How can you live with it, knowing the end is coming soon?"

Vivian smiled gently. "Well, as you say, it is a long way off, far beyond any of our lifetimes. Has the knowledge been bothering you the whole time you've been here?"

Elrohir nodded. The others simply looked on. It was so quiet in the room, it seemed like Elrohir and Vivian were the only ones there, simply talking to one another.

"I can't stand the thought that our own world will become like this someday—that it too will end, and all its beauty and joy end with it. Elves—we are connected to the world, in a way that humans are not. We take a simple joy in the loveliness of the earth, while humans look beyond the world. We love life—and to see the world dying is, for me, the saddest thing I have ever experienced. I have learned to live with the death of humans, for I have lived through many of their generations. But I have never seen the end of a world so imminent as I have here in the past week."

Vivian said nothing while he talked, letting him speak his mind. In the silence that followed, she took a pensive bite of cookie and sip of her drink, gathering her thoughts. She set down her glass on a nearby coaster with a movement of finality.

"How do you deal with the deaths of people?" she asked him probingly.

He furrowed his brow in thought. "When humans die, they leave the circles of the world. As far as we know, their _fëar_—their spirits—do not end with death, only their bodies. Elves assume that human spirits must live on somewhere else."

"And the earth wears out and dies like a human body," Vivian said, drawing a parallel. "Does the earth also have a spirit?"

"Not in itself," Elrohir answered her. "But it was made according to the plans of Ilúvatar, the All-Father. And his spirit pervades it, all the good in it, as coming from his design—just as an author's spirit pervades a work he has written, or a song-writer's his music."

"Then that spirit, that author's spirit, lives on, even when his book is destroyed—it lives on in the memories of the people who have read the book. You say that humans go on to someplace beyond the world—then their memories will go on, as well, and the spirit of the beauty, joy and goodness of the world will continue. Nothing the… All-Father has made can end without his consent. The body of man dies, but his spirit lives on that he may enter a new way of being. Perhaps the body of the earth dies, only that the spirit of the All-Father living in it may transform it to enter a new kind of existence."

The MElings all sat silent, thinking over what Vivian had said. It made sense, particularly taking the case of the elves. They all knew that after an elf died, his _fëa_ could be sent into another earthly body to heal the ills done to it in the former life. Perhaps Arda was the same—perhaps it would die only to be given a new life, to cancel out the griefs of the former. Elrohir shook himself.

"But we cannot know that will happen," he said, low and despairingly. "We cannot know that will be the outcome."

"No, we can't," Vivian said calmly. "Just as we can't know for sure that we will still be alive in the next five minutes. We truly _know_ very little, are sure of almost nothing in this life. But we carry on, in the same way you carry on when someone you know and love dies. You must have faith—you must have hope. The All-Father is good, and all his plans must be good. We know this. We must simply trust in him."

Estel smiled. "The elves say that the All-Father demands only two things of his children, elves and men: belief in him, and trust in him. _Estel_." He turned to his brother. "You always said it yourself, Elrohir, that we must just have hope, and trust that everything will turn out alright in the end."

Elrohir looked at his human brother, then at Vivian. The love and wisdom flowed from her, and also hope, and joy. Here was a human, like the wise woman Andreth, who understood the grief of the world better than all her kin, and yet unlike Andreth, knowing these things, she still had hope, she still rejoiced in life.

And he could do no less.

A smile lit his face. He smiled more broadly and truly than he had since they had left Middle-Earth. A positive light issued from his features. With one graceful movement, he stood and crossed the room to kneel before Katie's grandmother, who looked shocked but not entirely displeased to be honored so by such a handsome being.

He took her still-ungnarled hand in both of his. "You are truly a _Saelon_, a wise-woman. _Le hannon o guren_." He kissed her hand.

Vivian smiled down at him and blushed like a schoolgirl.

000

They all spent the next hour filling Vivian in on the details of the MElings' stay in Pennsylvania. She laughed long and hard when she heard that they had appeared unceremoniously in the dorm bathroom, and giggled like a girl while Legolas told of their first experience riding in cars. Walmart, the girls' reaction in the dining hall, all of it was rehashed. The MElings cackled at Katie's wicked impression of Liz when she saw Legolas for the first time, and Legolas when he tried the school's potatoes au gratin. Now that Elrohir seemed to be his old cheerful self again, their laughter took on a new tone of relief.

Vivian invited them all to spend the night—she had a guest room, which the MElings courteously insisted Katie take, and the others would sleep in the living room, either on the couch (which converted to a double bed) or the armchairs.

There wasn't enough room for them all to eat lunch in the little kitchen, so they sat in the living room to munch on their sandwiches. Elladan felt his heart lift when he realized that Katie's grandmother was also serving fresh fruits and vegetables. There had been all too little of that at Watson College.

Vivian put them all at their ease very quickly. She invited them to explore the house, and they took the invitation. Elladan followed Legolas back the hall toward the door. Legolas turned to go down the stairs to the basement, but a decoration caught Elladan's eye, on the wall opposite the red hat. It was an unusual ornament: two pieces of wood nailed one of the other, crossed at the middle. The vertical piece was longer than the horizontal, and hung down farther. In the middle of this wooden cross were carved the letters "ihs". Elladan resolved to ask Vivian about it later.

Turning around, he saw the thing that had so intrigued him when he came in the house. It was the poem hanging on the wall next to the fantastic red hat.

_When I am an old woman I shall wear purple  
__With a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.  
__And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves  
__And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.  
__I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired  
__And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells  
__And run my stick along the public railings  
__And make up for the sobriety of my youth.  
__I shall go out in my slippers in the rain  
__And pick flowers in other people's gardens  
__And learn to spit._

_You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat  
__And eat three pounds of sausages at a go  
__Or only bread and pickles for a week  
__And hoard pens and pencils and beer mats and things in boxes._

_But now we must have clothes that keep us dry  
__And pay our rent and not swear in the street  
__And set a good example for the children.  
__We must have friends to dinner and read the papers._

_But maybe I ought to practice a little now?  
__So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised  
__When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple._

He was chuckling by the time he finished it. "What is it?" Legolas asked, coming up the stairs. Elladan indicted the poem, and waited for Legolas to read it.

Legolas laughed. "It is Vivian, all the way through," he agreed. "She is somehow so like an elf—a 'grown-up child'."

"Yes, she is. There is something about her," Elladan said, "something I cannot place. She is like an elf, but not an elf, like a human, but not quite like any other human I've ever met, not even Estel and his kin."

Legolas nodded. "There is not a trace of it in Katie or her friends," he added.

"Did I just hear someone take my name in vain?" Katie called down the hall.

"Legolas was just telling me how messy and unkempt humans are," Elladan called back, with a grin and a wink at Legolas. Legolas tried hard not to laugh.

Katie stomped down the hall and smacked them both simultaneously on the shoulder. "Careful, my little elflings, or I may not let you use my hairbrush tomorrow morning," she warned them ominously.

Vivian, who had been coming down the hall to fetch something out of the basement smiled mischievously as she overheard this statement. Going down the stairs, she called slyly and half-flirtaciously back over her shoulder, "They can use _my_ hairbrush tomorrow morning."

**TBC**

**

* * *

AN: Vivian's drink is Mountain Dew. :)**

"The earth wears out like a garment": Is 51:6

_Le hannon o guren_: Thank you from my heart

The poem is by Jenny Jacobs

My ballet studio's annual performance is tonight! Wish me luck!

**Erasuithiel**: Wow, your favorite? —warmfuzzies— Yay! Yes, I hope everybody likes Katie's grandma as much as I do. :)

**EresseElrondiel**: Where are you from? I'm not sure how far the rocks/stones thing goes, but I'm under the impression that the stream/creek thing is definitely native Pennsylvanian. But I could be wrong. I thought "redd up" was a Pennsylvania Dutchism until I read it in Jane Eyre. OO

**Hermione at Heart**: The only one who has commented on that so far! Congrats! lol

**Laer4572**: I actually wrote in the cookies and soda bit before you mentioned it, but yes, they are good for munchies!

**Darkened Dreams**: What IS this about grandmas and cookies and homemade lemonade?.!. :)

**Dorehiel**: —winches— Ouch! I bet that smarted… You should see my left big toenail right now. I must've done something to it in dance class, because the whole thing's black… I liked the line about the bathroom, too. :) Seemed a very grandma thing to say.

**RavensDestiny**: Yay! My readers are communicating with one another about my work! —is terribly excited—

Thanks also to **fk306**, **Arlindor** and **Madd Hatter**! (And, since the ballet we're performing tonight is "Alice in Wonderland", **Madd Hatter**'s name is particularly appropriate!. :)

**If you review**, maybe Vivian will give you chocolate chip cookies and homemade lemonade!


	13. Yonder Lady

They had "good home-cooking" for dinner—spaghetti and meatballs. The MElings had been introduced to pasta in Watson's dining hall, but Vivian's cooking was much better than anything served at the school. They finished up with something Vivian dramatically called "dry-bottom shoo-fly pie". After one bite, Estel knew exactly why flies would be so attracted to it. It was very, very, _very _sweet. Molasses filling with brown sugar on top! Katie was thrilled; she apparently had a sweet tooth. It was good, but one slice apiece was all the MElings could manage—they weren't accustomed to such sweet food.

That evening, they played board games and Boggle, at which Vivian beat them all to flinders, and finished up with a few rounds of Uno. To his surprise and delight, Estel won twice. Teamwork made the chore of unfolding the couch go quite quickly, and they were all in bed by 10:00, far earlier than they had ever gotten to sleep in the dorm.

"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise," Vivian recited, and Katie grinned.

"This from the woman who's up at two in the morning reciting 'There was a young lady from Natches' on the CB," she commented wryly.

Vivian grinned right back. "Only on Friday nights," she answered sweetly. "And I've got to get up for church tomorrow morning."

As it turned out, she was awake before anyone else in the house, but that state of affairs didn't last long. Estel was woken by a muffled shriek, and sat up. The elves did the same to see Vivian with her hand over her heart, attempting to catch her breath.

"Good Lord!" she exclaimed, "I saw you all with your eyes open and thought you were dead!"

The MElings had a good laugh at this, as did Vivian when she learned that elves sleep with their eyes open.

"Well, you put my mind at rest!" she said dramatically. "I was convinced for a moment that somebody had slipped something in the pie last night!"

Katie appeared in the doorway, her hair tousled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "What's going on?" she asked sleepily.

"Oh, nothing. What you heard was the sound of your grandmother having a coronary, that's all," Vivian answered amusedly. "But it seems my plan of waking everyone up for breakfast has worked anyway. Why don't you scramble some eggs while I go down the freezer and get some more bread?"

Katie agreed and stumbled into the kitchen while the MElings stood up and stretched. Vivian headed down the hall toward the basement steps. Katie reappeared in the door again for a moment.

"Do you guys all want eggs?" she asked, but never heard their answer. At that moment there was a series of loud thuds from down the hall, and a moan. They all locked eyes for a moment, then raced for the basement stairs.

Vivian lay in an awkward position at the bottom of the stairs, her neck at a strange angle. "_Elbereth_," Legolas swore, and Katie clapped her hand over her mouth.

The four MElings hurried down the stairs and knelt over her prostrate body. Estel checked her vital signs.

"_She lives, but_ _I think her neck is broken_," he told the others in Elvish.

Katie was now standing over them with both hands over her mouth in absolute shock and horror. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod," she was saying quietly.

Estel knew with a sudden intuition that Vivian would not long survive, that she was in fact slipping away at that very instant. There was only one thing for it, one last, desperate measure he could try.

He placed one hand on her heart and the other on her forehead and bowed his head in concentration.

The twins, realizing what he was going to attempt to do, put each a hand on Vivian and one on their younger brother and bowed their heads as well.

A power flowed through them, filling their beings, and they channeled it into Estel and into Vivian. It was lucky that they had come to Pennsylvania before the hunting had begun, for the dealing of death diminishes the power of healing, and every little help to their power was now needed.

"What are they doing?" Katie whispered, agonized.

Legolas was in awe. "They are healing her with raw power," he murmured in return. "I have seldom seen this done; it is an effort of the last resort."

Even with three of them working over her, the power was not enough; they needed just a little more, or they would lose her. Elladan broke his concentration long enough to look up at their companion.

"Legolas! Lend us your strength!"

Legolas was no healer himself, but he knew that most elves have at least some latent ability in healing, and with only the tiniest pause of shock, he followed the twins' example.

The four of them made a weird and moving picture: three brunets and a blond, their long hair hanging down around their faces, bowed over the body of this older woman, the power so tangible, it nearly seemed to crackle over them. The last jolt of effort was so strong that Katie felt herself rock back from them, as if shoved by a sudden wind.

Very slowly, as if they were stiff and sore with effort, the MElings gradually sat up and took deep breaths. Katie leaned over them, worried.

Estel gently tapped Vivian's cheek, and the woman opened her eyes—they were bright as two stars. They helped her to sit up. She did not ask, What happened? She knew.

Solemnly, she hugged each of her saviors in turn, and kissed each one on the cheek. They returned the embraces sincerely. Finally, she held her arms out to Katie, who fell on her knees on the floor next to her and hugged her, sobbing. The MElings made room for her, and Vivian rocked her, murmuring comfortingly in her ear.

After a minute, they pulled back, and Katie turned wide and wet eyes on her friends. "Thank you," she managed to say through her tears. They all nodded, and then Estel raised his head, listening. He had heard it—

Bells.

He didn't even have time to say the word, before they found themselves kneeling, not on the carpet of Vivian's basement, but on the ground in the middle of the forest, the firewood Estel had gathered a week ago piled next to them, as if he had dropped it there a few minutes since.

Legolas shook his head and blinked a few times. "I will never get used to that," he said hoarsely.

All four of them took a moment to catch their breaths. Finally, Elladan stretched and groaned. "I'm exhausted," he admitted.

"I think we all are," Estel agreed, pulling off his boots and laying out his bedroll. "I'm too exhausted even to eat dinner—or breakfast, or whatever it is." He stretched out and pulled the blanket up to his chest, and his companions followed suit.

In the stillness that followed, Estel couldn't help but wonder—was there a pattern beginning here?

"Do you think we'll ever see Katie—or Vivian—again?" he asked in the darkness.

He could hear the smile in Elrohir's voice as his brother answered. "I don't know—just have hope, Estel."

Estel grinned in the darkness. It was good to be back, and to have his brother back. And they had Vivian to thank for it.

"_There is joy enough in the little finger of a great saint such as yonder lady to waken all the dead things of the universe into life."—C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce_

**The End**

…Kinda

**

* * *

AN:** "The dealing of death diminishes the power of healing"—"The Laws and Customs Among the Eldar", from _Morgoth's Ring: The Later Silmarillion_, by Tolkein "The dealing of death diminishes the power of healing"—"The Laws and Customs Among the Eldar", from , by Tolkein 

Thought you might like to know Vivian's favorite limerick:

_The Hoover, in grim silence, sat,  
But sucking no more at the mat;  
Quietly it grunted  
As slowly it shunted,  
And messily disgorged the cat.  
_—David Woodsford

I made a comment to my family about how people seemed to associate grandmothers with chocolate chip cookies and homemade lemonade, and my brother laughed and said, "I had to teach Grandma how to make lemonade a couple of weeks ago!" So my grandma apparently never picked up on her brother's recipe for lemonade so sweet it could make your teeth fall out. But she does bake a fantastic shoo-fly pie!

They have a new website up for my college, and you can take a little "tour" online:

The sequel should be starting soon, because I have the first couple chapters already laid out, but I have no idea what I'm going to title it, so I can't tell you. But watch this space!

**Hermione at Heart**: I'd _never_ tell a reviewer she was nosy; I like being asked questions too much! But I can't answer right now. It's kind of a plot point; you'll find out eventually. :) How's that for maddening?

**EresseElrondiel**: My goodness, a world traveler! Ouch, I wouldn't like to trip on a jeté…

**ThoseRainyDays**: Have _estel_, you may see Vivian again… :)

**Doredhiel**: Here ya go! What, you can't see them? Not my fault:)

**theycallmemary**: Thanks! I was hoping that would come over alright.

**Ravens Destiny**: Mostly ballet (which is what the performance was), and some tap and jazz. We had a latin piece this year, as well. I would love to learn stepdance and bellydancing! The ballet this year was Alice in Wonderland, and I was the owl (who doesn't appear in the book), and I got most of the way through my solo, and then suddenly went blank. Turned out what I forgot was three tour-jetés (however you spell that), so I just totally made something random up and improvised, and _nobody noticed_! It was kinda funny.

Thanks also to **werewolflemming**, **fk306**, **Madd Hatter** and **Laer4572**! —huggles you all—

All answers to **reviews** will be posted on the first chapter of the sequel! See you on the on the flip side!

**TBC!**


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